Take Aim at Vocabulary Teacher's Manual - Read Naturally

Teacher’s Manual

Table of Contents

Introduction..........................................................................................................................................1

Vocabulary Development Supports Success in Reading ................................................................1

Research Supporting Take Aim at Vocabulary ................................................................................1

Word Selection ................................................................................................................................1

Teaching Methods............................................................................................................................2

Learning Strategies ..........................................................................................................................3

Learning Principles ..........................................................................................................................4

Intermediate Grade-Level Achievement..........................................................................................5

Overview of the Take Aim Program ..................................................................................................6

Procedure Overview ........................................................................................................................7

Overview of Teacher Responsibilities ............................................................................................7

Planning and Setting Up ....................................................................................................................8

Preparing a Schedule ......................................................................................................................8

Choosing a Setting ..........................................................................................................................8

Gathering Materials ........................................................................................................................9

Determining Who Can Benefit ........................................................................................................16

Requirement One: Student Can Read the Level of Material ........................................................16

Requirement Two: Student Lacks an Understanding of Most Target Words ................................16

Administering the Level Assessment ............................................................................................17

Administering the End-of-Level Assessment ................................................................................17

Implementing the Steps ....................................................................................................................18

Step 1. Take Unit Pretest, and Mark Target Graph ......................................................................18

Step 2. Lessons 1–4 ......................................................................................................................19

Step 3. Complete Unit Activities ..................................................................................................22

Step 4. Study Target Words ..........................................................................................................23

Step 5. Take Unit Posttest, and Mark Target Graph ....................................................................23

Optional Step: Complete Additional Unit Activities ....................................................................24

Optional Step: Retake Unit Posttest, and Re-mark Target Graph ................................................24

Key Features of a Take Aim Lesson ................................................................................................25

Unit Textbook: Cover and Title Page ............................................................................................25

Unit Textbook: Sections A & B ....................................................................................................26

Unit Textbook: Sections C, D, E, & F ..........................................................................................27

Unit Textbook: Sections G, H, & I ................................................................................................28

Unit Textbook: Section J & Enrichment ......................................................................................29

Copyright © 2008–2009 Read Naturally, Inc. i Teacher's Manual

Take Aim! at Vocabulary

Unit Textbook: Glossary................................................................................................................30

Student Packet: Pretest and Posttest ..............................................................................................31

Student Packet: Lesson Worksheet Pages......................................................................................32

Student Packet: Required Additional Unit Activities ....................................................................33

Student Packet: Optional Additional Unit Activities ....................................................................34

Folder Items: Target Graph, Unit Steps List, & Scores Summary................................................35

Extras: Level Word Lists, Bookmarks, & Laudable Lexicologist Awards ..................................36

Monitoring Student Performance ....................................................................................................37

Using the Scores Summary............................................................................................................37

Adapting the Program ......................................................................................................................38

Adapting Take Aim for Independent Work ..................................................................................38

Adapting Take Aim for High-Performing Students ......................................................................38

Adapting Take Aim for Low-Performing Students ......................................................................39

Adapting Take Aim to Include a Fluency Component ..................................................................40

Communicating With Parents/Guardians ......................................................................................41

Extending the Vocabulary Learning ................................................................................................42

At School ......................................................................................................................................42

At Home ........................................................................................................................................43

Take Aim Game Ideas....................................................................................................................43

Lesson Plan 1: Amazing Ants Training Unit ..................................................................................45

Identify the Goal ............................................................................................................................46

Introduce the Student Packet ........................................................................................................46

Explain the Unit Pretest ................................................................................................................46

Correct the Unit Pretest ................................................................................................................47

Introduce the Target Graphs ..........................................................................................................47

Introduce the Folder ......................................................................................................................48

Introduce the Textbook ..................................................................................................................48

Explain the Title Page and Glossary..............................................................................................48

Introduce the CD............................................................................................................................48

Section A. Read the Target Words................................................................................................49

Section B. Read the Story ............................................................................................................49

Section C. Read to Understand Target Words ..............................................................................49

Section D. Use Context Clues ......................................................................................................50

Section E. Read to Understand More Target Words ....................................................................50

Section F. Read to Master ............................................................................................................50

Section G. Answer the Comprehension Questions ......................................................................51

Section H. Sketch Target Words ..................................................................................................52

Teacher's Manual ii Copyright © 2008–2009 Read Naturally, Inc.


Section I. Clarify Target Words ....................................................................................................52

Section J. Study Word Parts ........................................................................................................53

Enrichment: Apply the Target Words ............................................................................................53

Section K. Check the Hink Pink ..................................................................................................54

Lesson Checkout............................................................................................................................55

Complete Unit Activities ..............................................................................................................56

Study the Target Words..................................................................................................................57

Introduce the Crossword and Additional Activities ......................................................................57

Take the Posttest ............................................................................................................................58

Correct the Posttest ........................................................................................................................58

Fill in the Target Graph..................................................................................................................58

Lesson Plan 2: Walk Through Regular Unit ..................................................................................59

Introduce the Lesson......................................................................................................................60

Gather Materials ............................................................................................................................60

Introduce the Unit Steps List ........................................................................................................60

Take the Unit Pretest......................................................................................................................61

Correct the Unit Pretest ................................................................................................................61

Graph Pretest Score ......................................................................................................................61

Sections A–E..................................................................................................................................62

Section F ........................................................................................................................................62

Sections G–I ..................................................................................................................................63

Section J ........................................................................................................................................63

Enrichment: Apply the Target Words ............................................................................................63

Section K........................................................................................................................................64

Lesson Checkout............................................................................................................................64

Remaining Steps ............................................................................................................................65

Appendix ............................................................................................................................................66

Context Clues Training Activity (Optional) ..................................................................................66

Sketch Target Words Training Activity (Optional)........................................................................66

Hink Pink Training Activity (Optional) ........................................................................................66

Amazing Ants Training Unit Textbook ........................................................................................67

Amazing Ants Training Unit Student Packet ..............................................................................67

Amazing Ants Training Unit Answer Key ....................................................................................67

Context Clues Activity ......................................................................................................................68

Sketch Target Words Activity ..........................................................................................................69

Hink Pink Activity ............................................................................................................................70

Amazing Ants Textbook ....................................................................................................................71

Copyright © 2008–2009 Read Naturally, Inc. iii Teacher's Manual


Amazing Ants Student Packet ..........................................................................................................83

Amazing Ants Answer Key ..............................................................................................................91

Bibliography ......................................................................................................................................92

Index....................................................................................................................................................94

Teacher's Manual iv Copyright © 2008–2009 Read Naturally, Inc.


Copyright © 2008–2009 Read Naturally, Inc. 1 Teacher's Manual


IntroductionRead Naturally® strives to provide high-quality programs that assist students in developing the

skills necessary to become successful readers. The Take Aim at Vocabulary™ program

specifically develops vocabulary knowledge as a critical component of overall reading success.

Vocabulary Development Supports Success in Reading

Words are elemental to the texts and lessons that comprise the learning experiences of our

students. As you know, a student's ability to understand words and their meanings is essential in

all content areas. As curriculum increases in difficulty, so too do the words that make up that

curriculum. At a very basic level, vocabulary underlies a student's ability to understand what is

being taught.

Well-developed vocabulary is an essential component for success in reading. As teachers, we

recognize that reading becomes a great challenge for students who lack adequate word

knowledge. Indeed, research identifies that, "for adequate reading comprehension from grade

three on, children require both fluent word recognition skills and an average or above-average

vocabulary" (Biemiller, 2005, p. 41). Explicit instruction of vocabulary has been shown to

improve reading comprehension for both English speakers and English language learners (Carlo

et al., 2004; Beck, Perfetti, & McKeown, 1982). Furthermore, vocabulary instruction can

develop the in-depth knowledge of specific words that promotes an increased appreciation of

words and their power (Scott & Nagy, 2004). This interest in words is referred to as "word

consciousness" and is likely to benefit students as they develop as readers (Graves, 2006).

Research Supporting Take Aim at Vocabulary

Research findings in the area of vocabulary development provide the foundation for Take Aim

at Vocabulary. The Take Aim program was developed in alignment with research on word

selection, teaching methods, learning strategies, learning principles, and intermediate grade-

level achievement.

Word Selection

It is important for students to have a thorough knowledge of the sophisticated words they are

likely to encounter in a wide assortment of texts (Beck, McKeown, & Kucan, 2002). Beck and

McKeown (2007) refer to these words as "high-utility" because they are of high use to mature

language users. Take Aim teaches many high-utility words, which were carefully selected using

The Educator's Word Frequency Guide (Zeno, Ivens, Millard, & Duvvuri, 1995), The LivingWord Vocabulary (Dale & O'Rourke, 1981), and The Academic Word List (Coxhead, 2000).

Because the stories in Take Aim adhere to readability standards, students are also exposed to

many easier and more common words from the Fry, Spache, Harris-Jacobson, and Dale Chall

word lists.

Each level of Take Aim explicitly teaches 288 target vocabulary words. Read Naturally

carefully selected these words to ensure that students are learning high-quality vocabulary. We

define high-quality vocabulary as sophisticated, useful, and appropriate words that students in

the intermediate grades are unlikely to know but likely to encounter often as texts increase in

difficulty. Additionally, some words in Take Aim contain affixes which, once understood, can

help students figure out unknown words with the same or similar word parts.

Teacher's Manual 2 Copyright © 2008–2009 Read Naturally, Inc.


Teaching Methods

The high-quality words taught in Take Aim will benefit students only if students are able to

learn them effectively. According to the National Reading Panel, "dependence on a single

vocabulary instruction method will not result in optimal learning" (NRP 2000, p. 4-4). Take

Aim uses the following research-supported methods to teach vocabulary words:

� Explicit instruction of target words

� Instruction of target words in context

� Student-friendly definitions

� Multiple exposures to target words

� Multiple contexts for target words

� Semantic mapping

Explicit Instruction of Target Words

Explicit instruction helps students increase their vocabularies (Baumann, Kame'enui, & Ash,

2003; Beck et al., 1982). Take Aim explicitly teaches each target word in a variety of formats,

including a definition embedded in text, a definition with a part of speech and clarifying

sentence, and questions and activities that deepen understanding.

Instruction of Target Words in Context

From the intermediate grades on, reading becomes the principal language experience for

enlarging children's vocabulary (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1998). Incorporating vocabulary

instruction into reading is thus an ideal way to teach new words. The National Reading Panel

asserts that vocabulary instruction should be incorporated into reading instruction and that

lessons should include direct instruction of vocabulary items required for the specific text (NRP

2000, p. 4-24). Research identifies that when words and easy-to-understand explanations are

introduced in context, knowledge of those words increases (Biemiller & Boote, 2006) and word

meanings are better learned (Stahl & Fairbanks, 1986). In Take Aim, students read high-

interest, nonfiction stories along with a narrator. Students read each story three times; during

the second and third readings, they learn the target words in the context of the story. These

target words are defined using student-friendly terminology. Students also complete exercises

that give additional contextual support, such as reading each definition along with a clarifying

sentence and answering questions that use target words in new contexts.

Student-Friendly Definitions

For students to fully understand the meanings of words, they must understand the terms used to

define the words. "Student-friendly" definitions are definitions that characterize the word and

how it is used and explain the meaning of the word in everyday language (Graves, 2009).

Research shows that such carefully worded definitions enhance word understanding (McKeown,

1993). All target words in Take Aim include student-friendly definitions and clarifying

sentences.



Multiple Exposures to Target Words

A student's likelihood of learning a word increases each time s/he encounters and experiences

the word. Word meanings are acquired incrementally over time, and children require multiple

exposures to learn a word's meaning (Fukkink & de Glopper, 1999; Stahl, 2003). In Take Aim,

students encounter each target word in several instances. They encounter the word each time

they read the story, the definition, and the clarifying sentence. They also answer several

questions that use the target words and complete activities related to each word.

Multiple Contexts for Target Words

Vocabulary instruction should aim to engage students in actively thinking about word meanings,

the relationships among words, and how we can use words in different situations. This type of

rich, deep instruction is most likely to influence comprehension (Graves, 2006; McKeown &

Beck, 2004). In Take Aim, students experience each target word several times in multiple

contexts. In each unit, students read a clarifying sentence about each target word, sketch each

word, apply target words to a specific situation through enrichment activities, and answer

questions about each word. In addition, Read Naturally wrote the Take Aim stories in sets of

four, around a theme, to increase the likelihood that students experience the words and their

meanings in several contexts. Furthermore, over half of the target words in Take Aim appear in

stories besides the ones in which they are explicitly taught. These multiple contexts support the

rich instruction likely to boost comprehension.

Semantic Mapping

The use of semantic mapping is another method for providing rich instruction of vocabulary.

Semantic maps help students develop connections among words and increase learning of

vocabulary words (Baumann, Kame'enui, & Ash, 2003; Heimlich & Pittleman, 1986). Each unit

in Take Aim includes word mapping activities that require students to connect the target words

to other words, parts of speech, synonyms, antonyms, or personal experience.

Learning Strategies

Research provides evidence that teaching specific strategies can help students develop

vocabulary independently. These strategies will not only help students figure out the meanings

of target words, but students can transfer these strategies to unknown words they encounter in

the future. These strategies are as follows:

� Using context clues

� Analyzing word parts

� Using a dictionary or glossary

Using Context Clues

When students learn how to use context clues to their advantage, they are better equipped to

deduce the meanings of unknown words. According to researchers, the ability to use contextual

information can produce substantial, long-term growth in vocabulary (Nagy & Anderson, 1985),

and even a small improvement in the ability to use context has the potential to produce this

growth (Baumann, Edwards, Boland, Olejnik, & Kame'enui, 2003). Because context clues play

such a crucial role in word learning, each story in Take Aim includes an audio-supported mini-

lesson that teaches students to use context clues to arrive at a target word's meaning.

Analyzing Word Parts

The ability to analyze word parts is another strategy that helps students when faced with

unknown vocabulary. If students know the meanings of root words and affixes, they are more

likely to understand a word containing these word parts. Explicit instruction in word parts

includes teaching meanings of word parts and disassembling and reassembling words to derive

meaning (Baumann, Edwards, Font, Tereshinski, Kame'enui, & Olejnik, 2002; Baumann,

Edwards, Boland, Olejnik, & Kame'enui, 2003; Graves, 2004). Take Aim teaches roots or

affixes through activities and audio-supported lessons that guide students through the process of

using word parts to figure out the meanings of new words.

Using a Dictionary or Glossary

Students commonly come across unfamiliar words in texts. Using a dictionary or glossary is

another way to confirm and further develop word knowledge (Graves, 2006). However,

research demonstrates that correctly interpreting dictionary definitions is challenging for many

students (Miller & Gildea; 1987). Each Take Aim unit includes an illustrated, audio-supported

glossary of all of the target words plus additional challenging words in the unit. Definitions are

student-friendly, and most terms include clarifying sentences. Students are taught to reference

this glossary each time they encounter an unknown word.

Learning Principles

The use of recognized learning principles increases all types of learning, including vocabulary.

These principles include the following:

� Active engagement

� Deep processing

Active Engagement

For maximum results, a program should utilize a variety of methods that incorporate active

engagement with the material (NRP 2000, p. 4-27). To keep students actively engaged, Take

Aim incorporates many motivating activities. Examples include high-interest stories, graphs for

monitoring progress, hink pinks and crossword puzzles, and sketching and mapping activities.

Deep Processing

Students learn best when instruction allows them to deeply process the information (Craik &

Lockhart, 1972). To encourage thorough word learning, the activities in Take Aim provide

multiple opportunities for deep processing of the words. The audio-supported lessons engage

both auditory and visual senses. Students approach each target word using several senses as

well—not only do they answer questions about each target word, but they also listen to the

words, say them, sketch them, and map them.





Intermediate Grade-Level Achievement

Vocabulary instruction is likely to benefit students of any age, but research suggests that

instruction is particularly important in the intermediate grades. Children with smaller

vocabularies tend to fall significantly behind in grade four, and that decline accelerates in grades

five and six as curriculum starts to include more abstract, academic, literary, and less-common

words (Chall, Jacobs, & Baldwin, 1990). Take Aim supports intermediate grade students in

developing the vocabulary skills necessary to read grade-level materials. The materials in Take

Aim were developed for students who can read at a fourth-grade level and above.

Overview of the Take Aim ProgramTake Aim at Vocabulary™ teaches high-quality words within the context of related, high-interest,

nonfiction stories and then deepens understanding of these words through repeated exposure and

supporting activities. It was designed for small-group instruction and also works well as a

station activity.

Each Take Aim level includes 12 themed units. Each of these units includes four lessons related

to the unit's theme. Each lesson teaches six target vocabulary words. Lessons include stories

and corresponding vocabulary activities. Students who work through all 12 units in a Take Aim

level will learn 288 high-quality vocabulary words through 48 stories and numerous activities.

The following diagram illustrates the components of a Take Aim level.

Level

(e.g., Goldenrod)

Unit 3

Unit 1

Unit 12

Unit 11

Unit 10

Unit 9

Unit 8

Unit 7

Unit 6

Unit 5

Unit 4

Unit 2

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

Lesson 4

Target Word

Target Word

Target Word

Target Word

Target Word

Target Word

There are 12 units

per level. Each unit

has a theme.

Each unit

contains four

lessons.

Each lesson

teaches six target

words. These

words are taught

through a nonfiction

story related to the

unit's theme.





Procedure Overview

The following is an overview of how students use the Take Aim program to develop vocabulary.

The Implementing the Steps section of this manual provides more details on this procedure.

First, the student selects one of the 12 Take Aim units at his/her level and takes a unit pretest.

The pretest identifies how many of the unit's target words the student already knows and how

many s/he will need to learn. The student then graphs his/her pretest score to establish a

baseline for progress monitoring.

Then the student works through each of the four lessons in the unit. Each lesson teaches six

target words. For each lesson:

� The student reads the target words with an audio recording. Then s/he reads the story three

times with an audio recording. During two of the story read-alongs, the target words are

defined in context.

� The student completes activities related to the story and target words. These activities

promote comprehension of the story and deepen the student's understanding of the target

words.

� The student completes a word puzzle to self-correct his/her comprehension questions and

vocabulary activities. When s/he completes all components correctly, s/he moves on to the

next lesson.

At the end of the four lessons, the student completes additional vocabulary activities that pertain

to all words in the unit. S/he then studies the target words to solidify understanding. Then the

student takes a unit posttest to see how many words s/he gained. The student graphs the

posttest score on the same graph as his/her pretest score, which shows proof of progress.

Students requiring extra work to master the target words may complete additional exercises

before moving on to the next unit. When the student's understanding of all 24 target words is

solidified, s/he may retake the posttest. After passing the posttest, the student moves on to

another unit in the level.

Overview of Teacher Responsibilities

Take Aim is designed so that students can work through each lesson independently. However,

you will need to monitor students' performance and determine when they are ready to move

from one lesson to the next. Preparation is necessary to make sure students are trained properly

and the program runs smoothly. Major teacher responsibilities include the following:

� Planning and setting up

� Determining who can benefit from Take Aim

� Implementing the Take Aim steps

� Monitoring student performance

� Adapting the Take Aim program

� Communicating with parents/guardians

� Extending the vocabulary learning

Planning and Setting UpEffective implementation of the Take Aim at Vocabulary™ program requires proper planning and

setup, which involves preparing a schedule, choosing a setting, and gathering materials.

Preparing a Schedule

Each lesson in a unit normally takes a student about 45 minutes to complete. However, students

who do not complete a lesson within a single class period should have no trouble stopping mid-

lesson and resuming the lesson later. There are four lessons and various additional activities per

unit, so each unit will take several days to complete. Read Naturally recommends using Take

Aim five days a week in periods of 30–45 minutes each day.

Choosing a Setting

Take Aim works well in a variety of settings, including reading labs, resource rooms,

classrooms, or as part of extended day programs.

Reading Lab / Resource Room

Students come to a reading lab or resource room to work with a teacher on reading. Part of the

instruction includes vocabulary development.

Classroom

The classroom teacher sets up a Take Aim station in the classroom. While most of the students

in the room read quietly or work on projects independently, some students improve their

vocabulary by working at the Take Aim station.

Extended Day

Teachers, parents, community education staff, or other volunteers can offer a Take Aim class

before or after school. The instructor(s) can set up the station prior to class and take it down

afterwards.





Gathering Materials

Before implementing the Take Aim program, you need to make sure you have the necessary

materials. Use the lists below to help gather the materials you will need.

Note: The program materials are required to use Take Aim and are included in the program.

The additional materials are also required and are available through Read Naturally.

The optional materials are recommended but not required. These are also available

through Read Naturally. For more information on any of these items, visit the Read

Naturally website (www.readnaturally.com).

The pages that follow give a detailed explanation of each of the materials listed. The

Determining Who Can Benefit, Implementing the Steps, and Lesson Plan sections of this

manual describe how to use these materials with students.

Program Materials

Take Aim includes the following materials:

Teacher's Manual

This manual includes information necessary to ensure proper use of the Take Aim program and

lesson plans for teaching students how to use Take Aim. It also includes blackline masters of

additional materials needed to train students in using the program. These training materials

include the following:

Amazing Ants Training Unit: Textbook, Student Packet, and Answer Key

The training unit is a shortened version of a normal Take Aim unit. It teaches fewer target

words and includes one lesson instead of four. To train students, you will photocopy

blackline masters of the Amazing Ants textbook, student packet, and answer key. These

materials are located in the appendix of this teacher's manual. The Lesson Plan section of

this teacher's manual provides a script for how to use these materials.

Optional Training Blackline Masters

These optional blackline masters provide activities to do while training students in certain

steps of the program. You can make these blackline masters into transparencies or

worksheets, or you can recreate the content on a whiteboard or chalkboard.

Program Materials Additional Materials Optional Materials

Teacher's Manual

Unit textbooks

Audio CDs

Blackline Master Books

One and Two

Storage box

Divider tabs

Audio CD players

Earphones

Student folders

Crayons/colored

pencils

Timers

Red and green pouches

Reading guides

File folders

Unit Textbooks

The 12 unit textbooks in each Take Aim level are meant to be reused, so students should not

write in them. Unit textbooks are organized as follows:

Title Page

The title page of the unit textbook lists all 24 target words taught in the unit. This page

also includes a picture from each lesson in the unit and a table of contents.

Lessons 1–4

Each of the four lessons in a unit textbook teaches six target words. These six target words

are listed at the beginning of the lesson.

Each lesson features a high-interest, nonfiction story that appears in the lesson three times.

The first time the story appears, all of the target words, plus an additional vocabulary word

taught in the lesson, are bolded. All target words and several other challenging words in

the lesson are labeled with superscript track numbers, which indicate that the glossary

defines these words.

The second time the story appears, three of the target words are defined in context. The

third time the story appears, the remaining target words are defined in context.

Each lesson includes comprehension questions about the story, a mini-glossary of the target

words from the lesson, vocabulary questions to deepen the students' knowledge of the target

words, and open-ended enrichment questions that invite students to apply the target words

to their own experiences. Each lesson also includes either audio-supported instruction and

applicable questions about word parts (prefixes, suffixes, or roots), or questions that review

words taught in previous lessons.

Note: Due to the nature of the Take Aim program, students must complete the four

lessons in order.

Glossary

An illustrated, audio-supported glossary at the back of each unit textbook defines

challenging words in the unit. The glossary states definitions in complete sentences, which

are easier for students to process. To further illustrate each word's meaning, a clarifying

sample sentence follows most definitions.

Audio CDs

Each unit textbook has a corresponding audio CD. The CD features three recordings of each

story in the unit, which correspond to the three appearances of the story in each lesson. The CD

also includes all target words and their definitions, all glossary words and their definitions,

additional vocabulary lessons, and instructions. Superscript track numbers throughout the unit

textbook indicate which sections or words have audio support.





Blackline Master Books One and Two

Each Take Aim level comes with two blackline master books that contain all reproducible items

necessary for students to work in the program. The sections below describe these reproducible

items.

Note: The appendix of this teacher's manual contains the blackline masters necessary for

training. These training materials are not included in the blackline master books.

Blackline Master Book One includes blacklines for the following:

� Level Assessment

� End-of-Level Assessment

� Assessment Answer Key

� Unit Pretest Answer Key

� Target Graphs Sheet

� Unit Steps List

� Parent Letter

� Scores Summary

� Level Word Lists

� Laudable Lexicologist Bookmarks

� Laudable Lexicologist Award

� Student Packets for Units 1–5

� Answer Keys for Units 1–5

Blackline Master Book Two includes blacklines for the following:

� Student Packets for Units 6–12

� Answer Keys for Units 6–12

Each item in the blackline masters books is described below.

Level Assessment

The level assessment tests students on a random selection of words from all 12 units in a

level. This assessment can help you determine which students may benefit from working in

a specific level of Take Aim. Please refer to the Determining Who Can Benefit section of

this manual for more information on how to use this test.

End-of-Level Assessment

The end-of-level assessment is the same as the level assessment, but the test items appear in

a different order. You may administer the end-of-level assessment after the student

completes an entire level (all 12 units) of Take Aim. Then you can compare the student's

score on the level assessment with his/her score on the end-of-level assessment to measure

gains.

Assessment Answer Key

You will use this answer key to correct the level assessment and end-of-level assessment.

Unit Pretest Answer Key

This two-page answer key contains the answers to the unit pretests only. Students will use

this answer key to correct their pretests. You may want to copy the unit pretest answer key

pages back-to-back and laminate copies that you keep in a central location.

Target Graphs Sheet

A target graphs sheet includes a separate graph for each unit in the level. Students use

these graphs to record pretest and posttest scores for each unit and to measure progress.

Unit Steps List

This page lists all the steps a student follows as s/he works through a unit of Take Aim.

Students can refer to this list as they are learning the steps.

Parent Letter

A parent letter explains the Take Aim program and keeps parents/guardians involved in the

learning process. You may photocopy this letter to send home when students begin

working in Take Aim.

Scores Summary

The scores summary is a worksheet you can use to track students' scores on pretests,

posttests, and activities. You can keep a copy of the scores summary in each student's

folder and mark the student's scores as you check him/her out of each lesson and unit. This

summary keeps information that is valuable as you monitor students' progress and prepare

for conferences. For more information on how to use the scores summary, see the

Monitoring Student Performance section of this manual.

Level Word Lists

The level word lists are lists of all target words taught in the level, organized by unit. Give

students additional exposure to the target words by hanging the lists in your classroom and

using the target words in classroom conversation as frequently as possible. You can also

use these lists, along with the Laudable Lexicologist bookmark sheets, to create bookmark

awards for students each time they complete a unit.

Laudable Lexicologist Bookmarks

You may photocopy the Laudable Lexicologist bookmark sheets to the backs of the level

word list sheets to create bookmark awards for students. Each time a student completes a

unit, you may reward him/her with a bookmark that lists all the words s/he learned in the

unit. You may also send his/her student packet home with a bookmark attached to the

cover. After the student completes four units, you may send home the Laudable

Lexicologist award along with the packets and bookmark.

Laudable Lexicologist Award

This award helps keep parents involved in the learning process. After a student completes

four units in a level, you can send a Laudable Lexicologist award home with his/her student

packets. The student can discuss the vocabulary words s/he learned with his/her parents

and return the tear-off portion of the award signed by the parent.





Student Packets

Each unit textbook has a corresponding student packet in one of the blackline master books.

Teachers use these blackline masters to create packets in which students record their

answers to the unit activities. Each student packet is organized as follows:

� Unit Pretest (page 1)The first page of the student packet is a unit pretest. The pretest is a matching test

consisting of the 24 target words taught in the unit.

� Lesson Worksheets (pages 2–5)The next four pages of the student packet are the lesson worksheets. On these

pages, the student records practice reads, writes answers to the questions, and

completes activities pertaining to each lesson.

� Unit Activities (page 6)After the student completes the four lessons, s/he works on word mapping activities

that reinforce understanding of the target words.

� Unit Posttest (page 7)The last required page of each student packet is the unit posttest. The posttest is a

matching test consisting of the 24 target words taught in the unit. Test items are the

same as in the pretest, but they appear in a different order.

� Additional Unit Activities (pages 9–12)The end of each student packet has additional activities for the unit. These optional

activities include a crossword, an activity that offers students the opportunity to

compare information from the four stories in the unit, questions that extend the

meanings of the target words, and flashcards. Please note that page 8 of the student

packet is left blank so that students have additional space to write their answers to

the enrichment questions found in the student textbook.

Answer Keys

The last pages of Blackline Master Books One and Two contain two-page answer keys for

each of the units. These answer keys list answers for all activities the student may

complete while working in the unit, including pretests, posttests, multiple-choice and

written-response questions, hink pinks, and the crossword.

Note: Teachers will use these answer keys to check students out of each lesson and

unit. Students may correct their own pretests using the unit pretest answer key.

Storage Box

The Take Aim storage box is a convenient place to store unit textbooks, photocopies of student

packets, and additional blackline masters (target graph sheets, unit steps lists, etc.). The lid of

the box becomes a second storage container.

Divider Tabs

Divider tabs will help you organize the photocopies of student packets. You can run off several

student packets for each unit. When you store these packets in the storage box, you can use the

divider tabs to separate them according to unit.

Additional Materials

The following additional materials are required for Take Aim.

Audio CD players

Each student needs access to an audio CD player and must be able to work on this equipment

alone. Ideally, each student would have a CD player at his or her workstation. You will need a

power source for each audio CD player, such as regular or rechargeable batteries, or an AC

adaptor.

Earphones

Earphones are very important for ensuring that students hear the audio recordings clearly.

Earphones also reduce the sounds of the other students reading along with the audio.

Student Folders

Each student will need a folder for storing his/her target graph sheet, unit steps list, scores

summary, and the student packet in which s/he is working.

Crayons/Colored Pencils

Students use crayons or colored pencils to mark pretest and posttest scores on their target

graphs. Using one color for the pretest and another color for the posttest helps students and

teachers to quickly identify the amount of progress being made. Although students can use any

colors, blue for the pretest and red for the posttest works well. Read Naturally offers pencils

that are blue on one end and red on the other.

Timers

All pretests and posttests are timed. Read Naturally recommends having enough timers

available so that each student can time him/herself on the unit pretests and posttests. In most

situations, six students can share two timers.

Choose digital timers that do not count down the seconds. Having a countdown tempts students

to take their eyes off the page to check the time. The timers must have an audio signal to

indicate when the time is up. Read Naturally offers timers that meet these requirements, as

described below.

Note: For motivational purposes, you may also want some students to time themselves for

fluency scores on the Read to Master step (Section F) of each lesson. The Adapting

the Program section of this manual gives more details about this option.

Timer Description

The Standard

Electronic Timer

Can be set for any number of minutes and beeps after the set

number of minutes has elapsed

The Words-Per-

Minute Timer

Can be set for any number of minutes and beeps softly after

each minute

Calculates students' words per minute whether they are reading

for a specific length of time or an entire story





Optional Materials

Red and Green Pouches

Red and green pouches are pouches that are red on one side and green on the other. Students

turn the green side up when they are working and do not need assistance (i.e., the teacher can

"go"). They turn the red side up to signal that they need assistance (i.e., the teacher should

"stop"). Students can also keep their pencils/crayons and reading guides in the pouches.

Reading Guides

Reading guides are transparent pieces of plastic with a straight edge that students can use to

help their eyes track words across a line of text. Read Naturally offers reading guides made of

sturdy, blue-tinted plastic to reduce glare.

Tips for Caring for Materials

Care of Audio CDs

If you notice problems with the sound of your audio CDs or if some of the tracks skip, they are

most likely dirty or scratched. Cleaning your CDs will usually improve the sound and help

prevent skipping. Cleaning your CD players will help prevent CDs from becoming dirty or

scratched. Computer or electronics stores sell CD and CD player cleaning kits.

The following tips will help you care for your CDs:

� Store CDs in their albums, face (label side) up.

� Teach students to handle CDs by their edges to avoid getting fingerprints or dirt on them.

� Teach students to keep CDs in the albums or in the CD players. Students should not set

CDs down on top of the players or anywhere they may become dirty or scratched.

� If a CD skips or the sound drops out, you may purchase CD repair kits that let you buff out

minor scratches. You can find these kits at office supply stores.

Care of CD Players

To ensure that your CD players keep working properly, you may need to clean the laser lens

occasionally. Follow the steps below to clean the laser lens of your CD player:

1. Make sure the CD player is unplugged or turned off, and open the top.

2. Saturate a cotton swab with isopropyl alcohol.

3. Locate the laser lens. It looks like a small glass bubble about ¼ inch in diameter.

4. Use the cotton swab to gently brush the lens in a circular motion for about ten seconds.

5. Allow at least ten minutes for the lens to dry before you close the top of the CD player.

Determining Who Can BenefitStudents who need explicit instruction to enrich their reading vocabulary can benefit from the

Take Aim at Vocabulary™ program. However, you will need to make sure the level of material

is appropriate.

When determining which students will use a specific Take Aim level, consider the following:

� Can the student read the level of material?

� Does the student lack an understanding of most target words taught in the level?

Requirement One: Student Can Read the Level of Material

To work in Take Aim, a student must be able to read the stories in the level. For example, the

Goldenrod level was written for students who can read at a fourth grade level or higher, so

students working in Goldenrod must be able to read at this level. If you are unsure whether or

not a student meets this requirement, have the student try reading a story from the level. Use

your judgment of the student's performance to determine if the Take Aim materials are

appropriate. You may also use other information to guide you in your decision, such as the

student's performance in the classroom, scores on informal assessments, and standardized test

data. Another option is to give the student a Take Aim unit to work through and see how s/he

does.

Requirement Two: Student Lacks an Understanding of Most Target Words

If a student meets the first requirement, you also need to make sure the student will benefit from

studying the words taught in the level. If the student lacks understanding of many of the target

words in a level, s/he will benefit from working in that level.

To test the student's prior knowledge of the target words taught in a Take Aim level, read

through a sampling of the words in the level with the student, and get a general sense of his/her

knowledge. You may also administer the level assessment test that is included in Blackline

Master Book One. For this test, students match 24 target words with their definitions. These 24

target words were drawn randomly from all the units in the level. If the student's score indicates

that s/he lacks a solid understanding of many of these words, the level is likely appropriate.





Administering the Level Assessment

Follow these steps to administer the level assessment:

1. Place a copy of the level assessment in front of the student.

2. Explain the assessment to the student. Remind him/her not to guess if s/he does not know

an answer. S/he should fill in the blank with a question mark if s/he is unsure.

3. Set the timer for six minutes, and start it when the student begins working.

4. When the timer sounds, instruct the student to stop.

5. Correct the test using the assessment answer key.

Administering the End-of-Level Assessment

You can administer the end-of-level assessment after the student finishes all 12 units of the Take

Aim level. You will administer this assessment using the steps listed above. The test items on

the end-of-level assessment are identical to those on the level assessment, but questions appear

in a different order. You can compare the student's score on the level assessment to his/her

score on the end-of-level assessment to measure the progress s/he made by working through the

level.

Implementing the StepsThis section provides information about each step of the Take Aim at Vocabulary™ program and

includes helpful ideas and tips for implementing them.

When working in a Take Aim unit, students will perform the following steps:

1. Take unit pretest, and mark target graph

2. Complete lessons 1–4

3. Complete unit activities

4. Study target words

5. Take unit posttest, and mark target graph

For additional vocabulary support, students may complete the following optional steps:

Optional: Complete additional unit activities

Optional: Retake unit posttest, and re-mark target graph

Step 1. Take Unit Pretest, and Mark Target Graph

The student begins each unit by taking a timed pretest in which s/he matches the unit's target

words with their definitions. The unit pretest provides a baseline for progress monitoring,

showing the number of words the student already knows and the number s/he needs to learn.

For this step, the student will complete the following procedure:

1. Set the timer for six minutes.

2. Take the pretest. The target words in the pretest are grouped into three sections. The

student should attempt each section. S/he will stop when six minutes is up.

Important! For the pretest to be an accurate measure of how many words the student

truly understands, s/he should only answer the questions s/he knows. The

student should write a question mark in the blank for any test item about

which s/he is unsure.

3. Get the unit pretest answer key, and correct the pretest.

4. Record the number correct on the line marked "Pretest number correct."

5. On the target graph sheet, write the name of the unit. Fill in one box for each correct

answer. At the end of the unit, the student will mark his/her posttest score on the same

graph, using a different color, which will show evidence of progress.

Important! If a student does extremely well on a unit pretest, answering most or all of

the questions correctly without guessing, have the student alert you. You

may consider allowing the student to skip that unit.



Step 2. Lessons 1–4

After the pretest step, the student works through the four lessons in the unit. Each lesson

contains 11 sections, labeled A through K. The student will complete sections A–J using the

unit textbook, audio CD, and student packet; section K requires only the student packet.

The sections in each lesson are as follows:

A. Read the Target Words

This pre-reading activity introduces the student to the six target words taught in the lesson. The

student reads each target word along with the CD as the narrator models correct pronunciation.

After completing this section, the student makes a checkmark next to Section A on his/her

student packet.

B. Read the Story

The student reads the story along with an audio recording. This step introduces the student to

the story while helping the student learn to read unknown words and encouraging proper

pronunciation, expression, and phrasing. The student should quietly subvocalize while reading.

C. Read to Understand Target Words

The student reads the story again along with the CD. During this read-along, three of the

lesson's six target words are defined immediately after they appear in the story. To help

students differentiate between the story and the definitions, a different voice reads the

definitions. Having a word defined immediately after it is encountered in text helps the student

gain an understanding of the word in context.

D. Use Context Clues

The audio leads the student through the process of figuring out the meaning of a target word

using context clues. This mini-lesson points out the context clues around a target word and

helps the student use these clues to decipher the target word's meaning. This step teaches

students to use the information they do know to figure out the meanings of words they don't

know—a strategy that will help them when they encounter unknown words in the future.

E. Read to Understand More Target Words

The student reads the story along with the audio for a third time. During this read-along, the

remaining three target words are defined in context. The student notes the meaning of the target

word that s/he figured out using context clues in the previous step.

F. Read to Master

The student practices reading the story orally, without audio support, until s/he can read it well.

Reading the story several times helps the student deepen his/her understanding of the target

words while building fluency and confidence. The student checks off each practice read in

Section F of his/her student packet. Most students will practice three times, but some may

require more or less practice.

Note: For details on using this step to support fluency development, see the Adapting the

Program section of this manual.



G. Answer the Comprehension Questions

The student answers four multiple-choice comprehension questions about the story and records

his/her answers in the student packet. Whenever possible, target words appear in the questions

and answer choices to provide additional exposure to these words in context. The questions

follow a specific format:

� The first question asks for the main idea of the story. The main idea question requires the

student to determine what the story is mostly about.

� The second question asks about a detail in the story. The detail question requires the

student to read text carefully.

� The third question asks the student to define a word from the story. The word is a difficult

vocabulary word that is not a target word. This question requires the student to use context

clues surrounding the word to figure out the definition.

� The fourth question asks the student to make an inference. This question requires the

student to look for clues in the story and draw inferences about facts or ideas not explicitly

stated.

H. Sketch Target Words

For each target word in the lesson, the student reads the definition along with the CD. Then, in

the student packet, the student sketches a quick picture or writes a phrase that shows what the

word means to him/her. This activity helps tie the student's understanding of the word to his/her

personal experience and helps the student remember what the word means.

I. Clarify Target Words

The student answers multiple-choice vocabulary questions about each of the lesson's six target

words. Whenever possible, these questions go beyond the direct definitions of the target words

and require students to use their knowledge of each word's meaning to determine the correct

answer. Also, the questions often provide additional insight into the meanings of the words and

expose students to another rich context. The student records his/her answers in the student

packet.

J. Study Word Parts / Review Target Words

In the first lesson in each unit, Section J teaches a word part (prefix, suffix, or root). The

student listens and responds to the audio to learn the root or affix. Then the student answers

four multiple-choice questions based on that root or affix and records his/her answers in the

student packet. This step teaches the student about word parts and how they provide clues

about a word's meaning. This skill will help the student surmise the meanings of unknown

words that s/he encounters in the future.

In the second, third, and fourth lessons, Section J reviews target words taught in the previous

lessons. These multiple-choice review questions are similar to the questions that appear in

Section I (Clarify Target Words). This step provides additional exposure to the target words in

new contexts and provides a review of the words learned in previous lessons. Additionally, one

question in Section J (usually in the third lesson) tests the affix/root that the student learned in

the unit's first lesson.



K. Check the Hink Pink

A hink pink is a rhyming word puzzle. Words in the first part of the sentence are synonyms for

words in the second part, and the words in the second part rhyme (e.g., "A humorous rabbit is a

funny bunny"). A hink pink has one-syllable words that rhyme; a hinky pinky has two-syllable

words that rhyme; and a hinkity pinkity has three-syllable words that rhyme.

The student completes a hink pink puzzle in the student packet to confirm that s/he has

answered the questions correctly. Students use their answers from Sections G, I, and J to fill in

the blanks for the hink pink. If their choices are correct, the hink pink will make sense (i.e., the

words in the first part of the sentence will be synonyms for the words in the second part of the

sentence, and the words in the second part of the sentence will rhyme). If the hink pink does

not make sense, the student needs to go back and re-do some of the questions. The hink pink is

a fun, motivating way for students to answer and score their questions, and it also teaches them

synonyms and additional vocabulary words.

The hink pink is intended to enable students to self-correct their work. However, some students

may require teacher assistance for this step. Train your students to alert you if they need help

on the hink pink. Then you can use the unit answer key to circle the student's incorrect answers

and instruct the student to answer those questions again. The student should work

independently on correcting his/her mistakes.

Enrichment: Apply the Target Words

This optional enrichment activity invites students to use the target words to describe examples

or events from their own experience. Students can write their answers to these questions on the

blank page in their student packets (page 8). Students may work on these questions as they wait

for you to do the lesson checkout.

Lesson Checkout

During the lesson checkout, you determine if a student is ready to move on to the next lesson in

the unit. To move on to the next lesson, the student must be able to read the target words aloud,

read the story fluently, and define the target words. S/he must also have answered the questions

correctly. A correct hink pink usually indicates correct answers.

Use the bull's-eye checklist in the upper-right corner of the student's lesson worksheet page to

mark each item that the student completed correctly. You should use the unit answer key to

correct the activities. When the student defines the words for you, s/he may discuss his/her

pictures of the target words or orally define each word without referring to the textbook.

When the student gets all four checkmarks, s/he gets a bull's-eye for that lesson. Then s/he is

ready to move on to the next lesson in the unit.

Note: When you correct students' work, use the scores summary sheet to track the student's

question responses and determine if s/he is struggling with a specific type of

question. Then you can work with the student on this type of question. You can also

track the student's performance on the four items required for the student to check

out of the lesson (read target words, read story fluently, defined target words,

completed activities). The Monitoring Student Performance section of this manual

provides more details on using this form, and the Adapting the Program section

provides tips for working with students who struggle with questions.



Step 3. Complete Unit Activities

Analyze Target Words

After completing all four lessons in a unit, the student works on semantic mapping activities

that use target words. This section is called Analyze Target Words. The semantic mapping

activities in this section teach students to associate new words with familiar words and also

develop knowledge of synonyms, antonyms, and parts of speech. The activities in this section

vary slightly from one unit to the next.

The types of semantic mapping activities in Take Aim units are as follows:

Group by Meaning

This activity includes three boxes, each of which has a target word as its heading. The

student must choose from a list of words related to these three target words and place each

word from the list in the appropriate box.

Group by Part of Speech

This activity includes two boxes, each of which has a part of speech as its heading. The

student must choose from a list of target words and use knowledge of the target words'

parts of speech to place each word in the appropriate box.

Map Target Words

This activity includes a diagram with a target word in the center. In four spaces around the

center, the student must write a synonym for the target word, an antonym for the target

word, one thing that is an example of the target word, and one thing that is not an example

of the target word.

Associate Target Words

This activity includes a diagram with a word or phrase in the center oval. In ovals attached

to the center, the student is given one or two examples of words that are associated with the

center word or phrase. In the empty ovals, the student must write three or four other words

that can be associated with the center word or phrase.

Note: You may correct the student's answers to the Analyze Target Words while you correct

the student's posttest. You can check off that the student completed each activity on

the lines at the top of the Analyze Target Words page.

Optional Unit Activities

After completing the Analyze Target Words section, the student should study for the posttest or

work on optional unit activities, which include a crossword, open-ended questions, and

flashcards. These activities are described in more detail in the Optional Step: Complete

Additional Unit Activities section of this manual.



Step 4. Study Target Words

Next, the student should go back and study all the target words taught in the unit. It is

important for the student to study the words carefully. Studying will increase the likelihood that

the student will learn the target words and succeed on the posttest. Success on the posttest will

motivate the student to continue to the next unit with enthusiasm.

To study, students may do some or all of the following:

� Go back to Section H for each lesson, study the sketches, and carefully read through each

word and definition. (You may determine whether or not the student should use the audio

support.)

� Use the flashcards provided in the student packet.

� Complete the crossword.

� Complete the Compare the Lessons and Extend Target Words activities in the student

packet.

� Complete the Enrichment: Apply the Target Words questions in the unit textbook.

(Students may write responses on the blank page (page 8) in the student packet.)

� Use the glossary to review the target words.

Students should not take the posttest until they feel that they have put in sufficient study time

and have a good understanding of each target word.

Step 5. Take Unit Posttest, and Mark Target Graph

After studying the target words, the student is ready to take the unit posttest. The unit posttest

is the same as the unit pretest, but the test items are arranged in a different order. The posttest

shows evidence of progress by measuring the number of words the student gained by working

through the unit.

As in the pretest, the student has six minutes to complete the posttest. Unlike the pretest, the

student will not correct his/her own posttest. You will correct the unit posttest using the unit

answer key and then record the posttest score on the line at the bottom of the posttest page.

Note: You may also correct the student's answers to the Analyze Target Words questions, or

any additional questions, at this time.

After you correct the unit posttest, the student graphs the score on the same graph s/he used to

mark the unit pretest score. This time, the student uses a different color. Then the student

compares the posttest score with the pretest score to see progress made by working through the

unit. Over time, the student can also compare target graphs from unit to unit.

If a student scores well on the posttest, s/he can move on to a new unit. If a student does not

score well on the unit posttest, s/he should complete one or more of the additional activities

described in the next section and then retake the test.



Optional Step: Complete Additional Unit Activities

The student packet includes a variety of additional unit activities. These activities are not

required for all students. However, you may want to include one or two in the student's packet.

Students who score poorly on the posttest should be required to complete one or more of these

activities.

These activities are also helpful for reviewing words the student learned in Take Aim units s/he

previously completed. In the student's current student packet, you may include one or two

additional unit activities from previous Take Aim units. For example, if the student is currently

working in unit 6 and has completed unit 5, include some unit 5 activities in the student's unit 6

packet.

Ways to use these activities include the following:

� Assign one or more of the activities (either from the student's current unit or from previous

units) for the student to complete as homework.

� Have the student work on these activities while waiting for teacher assistance at the lesson

checkout step.

� Have the student work on one or more of these activities while studying for the posttest.

The optional unit activities include the following:

Crossword

The crossword uses all of the target words from the unit, plus a word containing the affix or

root taught in the first lesson.

Compare Lessons

These four comprehension questions encourage students to pull together ideas from two or

more lessons in the unit. Though these questions don't explicitly test target words in most

cases, students must have a good grasp of the target words to answer them.

Extend the Target Words

This activity shows students four examples of a relationship between a target word and

another word that uses the same root (e.g., respond and response). The student must

transfer knowledge of the target words in order to answer these questions.

Flashcards

Students may use these flashcards to study all the target words taught in the unit.

Flashcards may be especially helpful when preparing for the unit posttest.

Optional Step: Retake Unit Posttest, and Re-mark Target Graph

If the student does not score well on the posttest the first time, s/he may retake it when ready.

To prepare, the student should complete the additional unit activities and continue to study the

target words. Then the student can retake the posttest and mark the new score on his/her target

graph in a new color.





Key Features of a Take Aim LessonThe following pages highlight some of the key features of the materials in the Take Aim at

Vocabulary™ program. You may find it helpful to review this section before introducing the

program to students.

Unit Textbook: Cover and Title Page

AncientEgyptians

Goldenrod Level, Unit 3

Copyright © 2008 Read Naturally, Inc. 1 Ancient Egyptians – Unit 3

Take Aim! at Vocabulary – Goldenrod Level

Table of Contents

Lesson 1 Tut's Treasures ..............................................................................3

Lesson 2 Questions About a Queen ............................................................9

Lesson 3 Building Big—With a Motive ....................................................15

Lesson 4 The Mystery of the Sphinx ........................................................21

Glossary ..................................................................................................................27

insights looted motive obvious preserved prior

promoted proximity representation symbol triumphing unearthed


AncientEgyptians

Textbook

archeologists arduous culture deteriorated enabled eroded

exposure exquisite fascinated hypotheses illustrations indicates

The title page of the unit

textbook includes the level,

the unit number, the title of

the unit, a picture from each

lesson, an alphabetical list of

all 24 target words taught in

the unit, and a table of

contents.

The cover of each unit

textbook includes the

level, the unit number,

the title of the unit,

and a picture from

one of the stories.The number

of arrows on

the spine of

each cover

indicates the

unit number.

Unit Textbook: Sections A & B


Take Aim! at Vocabulary – Goldenrod Level Tut's Treasures

By the 1920s, archeologists 7 had found

many tombs 71 in Egypt. They had even

found some treasures 73 in the tombs. Yet

many archeologists thought finding more

treasures was unlikely. Thieves had

looted 12 most of the treasures long before

the archeologists had found the tombs.

Then, an archeologist unearthed 25 a set of

steps leading to a sealed door.

Archeologists unsealed 74 the door. What

they found fascinated 9 them. It was a

tomb full of exquisite 8 treasures. They

found beautiful illustrations 10 that showed

life in ancient 51 Egypt. They found gold,

jewelry, and even a mummy 61.

The mummy was the body of King Tut.

He was one of the youngest pharaohs 64 ever

to rule Egypt. He became the pharaoh

when he was only nine years old. But King

Tut didn't rule for long. He died when he

was just 18. One hypothesis 46 is that he

died from an infection 58 after breaking his

leg. Another 52 says that someone killed him

so a new pharaoh could rule.

Archeologists still have many questions

about King Tut, but finding his tomb did

give them new insights 11 into the culture 20

of ancient Egypt.

(183 words)

Tut's Treasures

A. Read the Target Words 1

B. Read the Story 2

archeologists exquisite fascinated illustrations insights looted

Tut's Treasures

lesson title

section titleIn Section A, the student reads the

target words taught in the lesson along

with the CD.

Superscript numbers indicate which

sections have audio support; the numbers

correspond to the tracks the student

should listen to on the CD.

In Section B, the student

reads the story along with

the CD. All words taught

in the lesson (six target

words as well as a

vocabulary word tested in

the third comprehension

question) are bolded.

Words defined in the

glossary have superscript

track numbers next to

them. The student also

uses this page to

complete Section F (Read

to Master).





Unit Textbook: Sections C, D, E, & F

C. Read to Understand Target Words 3

By the 1920s, archeologists had found

many tombs in Egypt.

Archeologists are scientists who study

ancient people and things.

They had even found some treasures in the

tombs. Yet many archeologists thought

finding more treasures was unlikely.

Thieves had looted most of the treasures

long before the archeologists had found the

tombs. Then, an archeologist unearthed a

set of steps leading to a sealed door.

Archeologists unsealed the door. What

they found fascinated them.

Fascinated means caused someone to

be very interested or amazed.

It was a tomb full of exquisite treasures.

They found beautiful illustrations that

showed life in ancient Egypt.

Illustrations are pictures or drawings

that show how things look.

They found gold, jewelry, and even a

mummy.


He was one of the youngest pharaohs ever




was just 18. One hypothesis is that he died

from an infection after breaking his leg.

Another says that someone killed him so a

new pharaoh could rule.



give them new insights into the culture of

ancient Egypt.

Tut's Treasures

D. Use Context Clues 4

It was a tomb full of exquisite treasures. They found beautiful illustrations that showed life

in ancient Egypt. They found gold, jewelry, and even a mummy.

F. Read to Master 6

Turn to page 3.



E. Read to Understand More Target Words 5

By the 1920s, archeologists had found

many tombs in Egypt. They had even

found some treasures in the tombs. Yet

many archeologists thought finding more

treasures was unlikely. Thieves had looted

most of the treasures long before the

archeologists had found the tombs.

Looted means stole, robbed, or carried

away something that didn't belong to

you.

Then, an archeologist unearthed a set of

steps leading to a sealed door.

Archeologists unsealed the door. What

they found fascinated them. It was a tomb

full of exquisite treasures.

Exquisite means very beautiful or rare.

They found beautiful illustrations that

showed life in ancient Egypt. They found

gold, jewelry, and even a mummy.


He was one of the youngest pharaohs ever




was just 18. One hypothesis is that he died

from an infection after breaking his leg.

Another says that someone killed him so a

new pharaoh could rule.



give them new insights into the culture of

ancient Egypt.

Insights are new ways of understanding

things.

Tut's Treasures

In Section C,

half of the

target words

are defined in

context. As the

student reads

the story along

with the CD, a

different voice

reads these

definitions. In Section D, a mini-lesson

on the CD teaches the

student how to use context

clues to figure out the

meaning of one of the

target words s/he has not

yet learned.

In Section E, the

remaining target

words are defined in

context. The student

notes the context

clues and definition

for the word s/he

learned in Section D.

In Section F, the student turns back to the

first instance of the story (Section B) and

practices reading it several times without

audio support.

Unit Textbook: Sections G, H, & I



H. Sketch Target Words 7–12


5. archeologist 7(noun)

An archeologist is a scientist who studies

ancient people and things. Thearcheologist was excited when he dug uptools people used thousands of yearsago.

6. exquisite 8(adjective)

Exquisite means very beautiful or rare.

The exquisite earrings were made ofbright gold that sparkled in the light.

7. fascinate 9(verb)

Fascinate means to cause someone to be

very interested or amazed. Horsesfascinate John, so he reads lots of booksabout horses.

8. illustration 10(noun)

An illustration is a picture or drawing

that shows how something looks. Theillustration of the park showed what itlooked like at sunset.

9. insight 11(noun)

An insight is a new way of

understanding something. I gained anew insight into cooking vegetables whenI watched my mom cook carrots; the keywas to not cook them too long.

10. loot 12(verb)

Loot means to steal, rob, or carry away

something that doesn't belong to you.

After the earthquake, many stores hadbroken windows and fallen walls, makingit easy for people to get in and lootthings from the stores.

1. What is the main idea of this story?

a. King Tut was one of the youngest

pharaohs ever to rule Egypt.

b. Thieves had looted many treasures

from tombs in Egypt.

c. The treasures in King Tut's tomb

fascinated archeologists.

2. When did King Tut become a pharaoh?

a. when he was nine years old

b. when he was 18 years old

c. in the 1920s

3. What does ancient mean in this story?

c. very large

d. very old

e. very loud

4. Why did archeologists think that

finding more treasures was unlikely?

e. because thieves had already looted

many treasures from tombs

f. because most Egyptians didn't put

treasure in their tombs

g. because they didn't know how King

Tut had died



11. I wanted to buy the exquisite painting

because it was __________ .

a. very pretty and unusual

b. similar to many other paintings

c. cheap and simple

12. Trains fascinated Tim. Tim thought

trains were __________ .

u. very interesting

v. very boring

w. hard to understand

13. I had __________ jellybeans after my

sister looted some of them.

n. more

o. fewer

p. better

14. Which would you use to make an

illustration?

o. a camera

p. a pencil

q. clay

15. Which is an archeologist most likely to

know about?

g. gold and jewelry

h. people who lived long ago

i. how people get infections

16. Which would give you the best insights

into life in another country?

l. talking to someone from another

country

m. wearing glasses made in another

country

n. visiting many places in your own

country


In Section H, the

student reads

definitions of the

target words along

with clarifying

sentences and parts

of speech. These

definitions have

corresponding audio

tracks. The student

reads the definitions

along with the CD

and then makes a

sketch of each target

word in his/her

student packet.

In Section G, the

student answers

comprehension

questions that draw

on knowledge of the

story and the ability

to use context clues

to figure out

vocabulary from the

story.

In Section I, the

student answers

questions that

promote

knowledge of the

target words.



Unit Textbook: Section J & Enrichment



J. Study Word Parts 13

A prefix is a letter or group of letters that is added to the beginning of a word to make a

new word. A prefix has its own meaning, and it changes the meaning of the word.

17. Which of the following might you use

to unseal a box?

o. a knife

p. glue

q. screws

18. When would you untie your shoe?

q. when it isn't tied

r. when you wish it wasn't tied

s. when you wish it was tied

19. We left the project unfinished because

__________ .

k. it didn't need any more work

l. we had to go to dinner

m. we had completed all of it

20. If something is unused, it might be

__________ .

r. new

s. broken

t. worn out

Prefix Meaning of Prefix Prefix + Word New Word Meaning of New Word

un-not; the reverse of

something

un + seal unsealto take away a seal;

to open

un + finished unfinished not finished; not done

un + broken unbroken not broken; in one piece

un + pack unpackto take things out of a

suitcase

Enrichment:

Apply the Target Words

a. Rare jewelry is exquisite. What is something else that is exquisite?

b. What things fascinate you?

c. Where are some places you might find an archeologist?

d. What kinds of insights might you learn about someone by visiting her home?


Take Aim! at Vocabulary – Goldenrod Level Questions About a Queen

J. Review Target Words

37. The men who looted the store

__________ three computers.

a. stole

b. bought

c. returned

38. Which is most likely to have

illustrations?

u. a book for adults

v. a book for children

w. a person's diary

39. The book was fascinating; I

__________ .

g. didn't like it at all

h. couldn't find it anywhere

i. learned many amazing things

40. Going to the festival gave me many

insights into Mia's culture. Now I

__________ .

a. understand it better

b. am part of her culture

c. don't understand it at all

Enrichment:


a. How would you feel after triumphing in a soccer match?

b. What are some ways you could promote your favorite book?

c. Describe the culture that you belong to.

d. How can you tell if something has eroded?

For the first lesson in

each unit, Section J

teaches an affix or root

with an audio-supported

lesson. The student

answers questions

applying the meaning of

the affix.

For the remaining

three lessons in the

unit, Section J

requires the student

to answer questions

that review target

words taught in the

previous lesson.

In all lessons, the Enrichment:

Apply the Target Words section

following Section J is an optional

activity in which students apply the

target words to their own

experiences and knowledge.



Unit Textbook: Glossary


Take Aim! at Vocabulary – Goldenrod Level Glossary

Glossary

afterlife 50(noun)

An afterlife is life that happens after death.

Some people believe that when they die, theywill keep living in an afterlife.

ancient 51(adjective)

Ancient means very old. My grandpa ownsan ancient clay pot that was made in Africathousands of years ago.

another 52(pronoun)

Another means a different one. Ben didn'tlike the game they were playing, so he asked if they could play another.

archeologist 7(noun)

An archeologist is a scientist who studies

ancient people and things. The archeologistwas excited when he dug up tools people usedthousands of years ago.

arduous 32(adjective)

Arduous means difficult or requiring a lot of

effort. Filling hundreds of sandbags andstacking them along the riverbank to stop theriver from flooding was an arduous task.

carve 53(verb)

Carve means to carefully cut shapes or

designs into something like stone or wood.

Tom will carve his name into the bench.

chariot 54(noun)

A chariot is a two-wheeled cart usually pulled

by horses and driven by a standing person.

compare 55(verb)

Compare means to see how two or more

things are the same or different. Jenny willcompare her mom's cookies and her aunt'scookies and decide whose cookies taste better.

culture 20(noun)

A culture is the beliefs, skills, arts, tools,

traditions, and ways of life of a group of

people. In American culture, the freedom tosay and write what you think is veryimportant.

desert 56(noun)

A desert is a place that is dry

and often hot. A cactus cansurvive in the desert because it does not need much water.

deteriorate 44(verb)

Deteriorate means to become worse, to wear

away, or to lose quality or value. The oldhouse was beginning to deteriorate, so wefixed the roof and made the walls stronger.

enable 33(verb)

Enable means to make it possible for someone

to do something. The new bridge will enableus to cross to the other side of the river.

erode 21(verb)

Erode means to wear away or wash away over

time. After years of being outside in the rainand wind, the stone statue in our gardenbegan to erode and lose its shape.

The glossary contains definitions for all the target words plus

additional challenging words from the stories. All definitions

provide easy-to-understand explanations of the words and use

complete sentences.

Most definitions have a

clarifying sentence that

further illustrates the

meaning of the word.

Some also include a

picture.

Parts of speech are

included for all terms.



Student Packet: Pretest and Posttest


Take Aim! at Vocabulary – Goldenrod Level Student Packet


AncientEgyptians

Unit Pretest

Name ______________________

Exercise A

1. Something that is very beautiful or rare is ____ . a. loot

2. A scientist who studies ancient people and things is a(n) ____ . b. exquisite

3. When you win a victory over someone or something, you ____ . c. erode

4. A picture that shows how things look is a(n) ____ . d. archeologist

5. If people help or encourage something to happen, they ____ it. e. illustration

6. If you discover or dig something up, you ____ it. f. triumph

7. If you steal or rob something, you ____ it. g. unearth

8. When things wear away or wash away over time, they ____ . h. promote

Exercise B

9. A group of people's beliefs and ways of life is their ____ . i. representation

10. Something that stands for another thing is a(n) ____ . j. indicate

11. If you cause people to be very interested, you ____ them. k. insight

12. A picture or figure made to look like something is a(n) ____ . l. symbol

13. A guess made after careful thought is a(n) ____ . m. culture

14. If something is difficult or requires a lot of effort, it is ____ . n. fascinate

15. When you state, show, or make something known, you ____ it. o. hypothesis

16. A new way of understanding something is a(n) ____ . p. arduous

Exercise C

17. When things become worse, wear away, or lose value, they ____ . q. enable

18. A reason for doing something is a(n) ____ . r. obvious

19. If something is easy to see, recognize, or understand, it is ____ . s. preserve

20. If you keep something in good condition, you ____ it. t. proximity

21. Being uncovered, left open to danger, or unprotected is ____ . u. deteriorate

22. If something happened before another thing, it happened ____ . v. motive

23. Closeness or nearness is ____ . w. prior

24. If you make it possible for someone to do something, you ____ it. x. exposure

Pretest number correct: ______

The student takes a

timed pretest before

working in a unit. This

test shows how many of

the target words s/he

already knows.

Exercise A

1. If you steal or rob something, you ____ it. a. exquisite

2. If people help or encourage something to happen, they ____ it. b. unearth

3. When things wear away or wash away over time, they ____ . c. loot

4. A picture that shows how things look is a(n) ____ . d. erode

5. A scientist who studies ancient people and things is a(n) ____ . e. triumph

6. If you discover or dig something up, you ____ it. f. illustration

7. Something that is very beautiful or rare is ____ . g. archeologist

8. When you win a victory over someone or something, you ____ . h. promote

Exercise B

9. If something is difficult or requires a lot of effort, it is ____ . i. insight

10. A guess made after careful thought is a(n) ____ . j. fascinate

11. A group of people's beliefs and ways of life is their ____ . k. symbol

12. A picture or figure made to look like something is a(n) ____ . l. arduous

13. A new way of understanding something is a(n) ____ . m. indicate

14. If you cause people to be very interested, you ____ them. n. hypothesis

15. Something that stands for another thing is a(n) ____ . o. representation

16. When you state, show, or make something known, you ____ it. p. culture

Exercise C

17. If something happened before another thing, it happened ____ . q. obvious

18. When things become worse, wear away, or lose value, they ____ . r. motive

19. If you keep something in good condition, you ____ it. s. exposure

20. If you make it possible for someone to do something, you ____ it. t. deteriorate

21. A reason for doing something is a(n) ____ . u. proximity

22. Closeness or nearness is ____ . v. prior

23. Being uncovered, left open to danger, or unprotected is ____ . w. preserve

24. If something is easy to see, recognize, or understand, it is ____ . x. enable

Posttest number correct: ______



Show What You've LearnedUnit Posttest

The student

records the

pretest score

here.

After completing a

unit, the student

takes a timed

posttest to find out

how well s/he

learned the target

words. The pretest

and the posttest

contain identical

definitions, but

words appear in a

different order.

The teacher

records the

posttest

score here.



Student Packet: Lesson Worksheet Pages



Tut's Treasures

11. ____

12. ____

13. ____

14. ____

15. ____

16. ____


17. ____

18. ____

19. ____

20. ____

J. Study Word Parts

5. ____________________ 6. ____________________ 7. ____________________

8. ____________________ 9. ____________________ 10. ____________________

Read Target Words: ______Read Story Fluently: ______Defined Target Words: ______Completed Activities: ______

A ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

is a

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ .

K. Check the Hinky Pinky

18 11 17 15

1 13 19 4 1817

1 13 19 3 4 18

14 15 2

20 12 4 2016


A.–E. Read With the CD (pages 3–5 in the textbook)

A. ____ B. ____ C. ____ D. ____ E. ____

____ ____ ____

1. ____ 2. ____ 3. ____ 4. ____


F. Read to Master

3rd read1st read 2nd read

Each lesson in the unit

textbook has a corresponding

page in the student packet

where the student records

answers to questions.

The student

checks off

each

practice

reading for

Section F

here.

The student

writes and

sketches the

target words

here.

To complete the hink

pink, the student

transfers his/her

answers from

sections G, I, and J

onto these lines.

For each item

completed correctly,

the teacher makes

one checkmark.

When the student

gets a bull's-eye (all

four checkmarks),

s/he can move on to

the next lesson.The student writes answers

to the questions on these

lines.

The student

makes a

checkmark

after

completing

each of

these

sections.



Student Packet: Required Additional Unit Activities



cracked simple plain fancy pretty lovely

beautiful crumbled clear broken understood old

2. Read the target words in the boxes. Then, read the words listed above the boxes.

Write each of the words from the list in the appropriate box.

deteriorated

____________________

____________________

____________________

____________________

obvious

____________________

____________________

____________________

____________________

Analyze Target Words1.

arduous

Write an example of something that is arduous.

Write an example of something that is not arduous.

Write an antonym.Write a synonym.

exquisite

____________________

____________________

____________________

____________________

Completed #1: ______Completed #2: ______

When the student finishes all four lessons in a unit, s/he

completes the semantic mapping activities on the Analyze

Target Words page of the student packet.

You may correct

these activities at

the same time as

you correct the

unit posttest.

(Make

checkmarks on

these lines.)



Student Packet: Optional Additional Unit Activities

Word Bank

archeologist

arduous

culture

deteriorate

enable

erode

exposure

exquisite

fascinate

hypothesis

illustration

indicate

insight

loot

motive

obvious

preserve

prior

promote

proximity

representation

symbol

triumph

unearth

Ancient Egyptians – Crossword

Across

1 a guess

3 cause someone to be amazed

10 the beliefs and ways of life

of a group of people

11 very beautiful

13 wear away

15 find or dig up

16 something that stands for

something else

19 keep well

20 steal or rob

21 the reason for doing

something

22 win a victory over

23 show

24 break the seal

Down

2 being uncovered or left open

to danger

4 someone who studies ancient

people and things

5 closeness to something

6 easy to see or recognize

7 earlier or happening before

8 become worse

9 something made to look like

something else

12 a picture or drawing

13 make someone able to do

something

14 difficult or a lot of work

17 a new way to understand

something

18 encourage to happen



Compare the Lessons

a. Each story in this unit had at least one hypothesis. Write at least two of them.

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

b. In what ways are the Great Sphinx and the sculpture of Queen Nefertiti alike? In what

ways are they different?

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

c. What did the stories in this unit teach you about the work archeologists do?

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

d. What did the stories in this unit teach you about ancient Egyptian culture?

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________


a. To make illustrations, people have to illustrate. When people illustrate, they

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

b. A person who has a triumph may be triumphant. Some examples of people who are

triumphant include _______________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

c. When you give someone a motivation to do something, you motivate that person. A time

I motivated someone was __________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

d. When someone makes a hypothesis, that person hypothesizes. An example of someone

hypothesizing is _________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________



The student may work

on optional activities

including a crossword,

open-ended questions

about the lessons and

target words, and

flashcards. The teacher

may require the student

to do these activities

while waiting for teacher

assistance, to study for

the posttest, as

homework, or to review

target words from

previous units.

archeologist

deteriorate

exposure

hypothesis

insight

obvious

promote

symbol

arduous

enable

exquisite

illustration

loot

preserve

proximity

triumph unearth

representation

prior

motive

indicate

fascinate

erode

culture

Ancient Egyptians – Unit 3 Ancient Egyptians – Unit 3 Ghost Towns – Unit 2

Ancient Egyptians – Unit 3 Ancient Egyptians – Unit 3 Ancient Egyptians – Unit 3







the beliefs, skills, arts,

tools, traditions, and ways

of life of a group of people

to wear away or to

wash away over time

to cause someone to

become very interested

or amazed

to state, show, or

make known

a reason for

doing something

earlier, previous, or

happening before

a picture, statue, or figure

made to look like something

or someone

to discover or dig up

difficult or requiring

a lot of effort

to make it possible

for someone to

do something

very beautiful or rare

a picture or drawing that

shows how things looks

to steal, rob, or carry

away something that

doesn't belong to you

to keep something in

good condition

closeness or nearness

to win a victory over

someone or something

something that stands for

or represents another thing

to help or encourage

something to happen

easy to see, recognize,

or understand

a new way of

understanding something

a guess someone makes

after thinking about

something carefully

being uncovered, being left open

to danger, or being unprotected

against the effects of something

to become worse, wear away,

or lose quality or value

a scientist who

studies ancient

people and things

You can cut along the dotted

lines on the words side of

the flashcard page for

flashcards with a target word

on one side and the

definition on the other. You

may also use these cards

when creating games for

students to play.

Definitions side of

flashcard page.

Words side of

flashcard page.



Folder Items: Target Graph, Unit Steps List, & Scores Summary

Copyright © 2008 Read Naturally, Inc. Target Graphs Sheet

Take Aim! at Vocabulary – Goldenrod Level

Target Graphs Sheet

Amazing Ants

Name ______________________

0 1 2 3 4 5 986 7 10 11 12 16151413 17 18 19 20 21 22 23Date Unit 24

0 1 2 3 4 5 986 7 10 11 12 16151413 17 18 19 20 21 22 23Date Unit 24

0 1 2 3 4 5 986 7 10 11 12 16151413 17 18 19 20 21 22 23Date Unit 24

0 1 2 3 4 5 986 7 10 11 12 16151413 17 18 19 20 21 22 23Date Unit 24

0 1 2 3 4 5 986 7 10 11 12 16151413 17 18 19 20 21 22 23Date Unit 24

0 1 2 3 4 5 986 7 10 11 12 16151413 17 18 19 20 21 22 23Date Unit 24

0 1 2 3 4 5 986 7 10 11 12 16151413 17 18 19 20 21 22 23Date Unit 24

0 1 2 3 4 5 986 7 10 11 12 16151413 17 18 19 20 21 22 23Date Unit 24

0 1 2 3 4 5 986 7 10 11 12 16151413 17 18 19 20 21 22 23Date Unit 24

0 1 2 3 4 5 986 7 10 11 12 16151413 17 18 19 20 21 22 23Date Unit 24

0 1 2 3 4 5 986 7 10 11 12 16151413 17 18 19 20 21 22 23Date Unit 24

0 1 2 3 4 5 986 7 10 11 12 16151413 17 18 19 20 21 22 23Date Unit 24

0 1 2 3 4 5 86 7Date Unit

1. Unit PretestTake the unit pretest.

Correct your answers using the unit pretest answer key.

Mark the number of correct answers in blue on your target graph.

2. Lessons 1–4For each lesson...

Complete sections A–K.

Check out with your teacher.

3. Unit ActivitiesComplete the Analyze Target Words activities.

4. Study Target WordsStudy all the target words using the glossary, section H for each lesson, or any other

activities your teacher assigns.

5. Unit PosttestTake the unit posttest.

Ask your teacher to correct your answers.

Mark the number of correct answers in red on your target graph.

Unit Steps List

The student keeps a target

graph sheet in his/her folder.

For each unit, s/he fills in

one box for each correct

answer on the pretest.

Then, using a different color,

s/he fills in one box for each

correct answer on the

posttest. The new color

shows proof of progress.

The unit steps list guides

the student through the

steps. The student can

keep this list in his/her

folder as a reference.

Scores Summary

____________

____________

pre post /24 /24

pre post

G. Answer Comprehension Questions

Main Idea Question #1 #21 #41 #61

#2 #22 #42 #62

#3 #23 #43 #63

#4 #24 #44 #64

/4 /4 /4 /4

/6 /6 /6 /6

/6 /6 /6 /6

/4 /4 /4 /4

/1 /1 /1 /1

/25 /25 /25 /25

/102

Name _____________________________ Level __________________ Class __________________

Detail Question

Vocabulary in Context Question

Inferential Question



J. Study Word Parts (column 1) orReview Target Words (columns 2–4)

K. Hink Pink

Lesson Checkout

Read Target Words

Read Story Fluently

Defined Target Words

Completed Activities


Lesson Totals

/2

Unit

Pre/Posttest Scores

Pre/Posttest Dates

Optional ActivitiesBonus Points

Unit Total

____________

____________

pre post /24 /24

pre post

/6 /6 /6 /6

/6 /6 /6 /6

/4 /4 /4 /4

/1 /1 /1 /1

/25 /25 /25 /25

____________

____________

pre post /24 /24

pre post

/6 /6 /6 /6

/6 /6 /6 /6

/4 /4 /4 /4

/1 /1 /1 /1

/25 /25 /25 /25

____________

____________

pre post /24 /24

pre post

/6 /6 /6 /6

/6 /6 /6 /6

/4 /4 /4 /4

/1 /1 /1 /1

/25 /25 /25 /25

#1 #21 #41 #61

#2 #22 #42 #62

#3 #23 #43 #63

#4 #24 #44 #64

/4 /4 /4 /4

#1 #21 #41 #61

#2 #22 #42 #62

#3 #23 #43 #63

#4 #24 #44 #64

/4 /4 /4 /4

#1 #21 #41 #61

#2 #22 #42 #62

#3 #23 #43 #63

#4 #24 #44 #64

/4 /4 /4 /4

/4 /4 /4 /4 /4 /4 /4 /4 /4 /4 /4 /4 /4 /4 /4 /4

/2 /2 /2

/102 /102 /102

Crossword

Compare the Lessons


Flashcards


The scores summary is a

sheet you use to keep

track of a student's scores

on questions and

activities. You can use

this information for

reporting purposes and

also to look for patterns

such as which types of

questions the student

tends to miss, etc.

Use these boxes to track

which comprehension

questions the student

completed correctly or

incorrectly.

Use these boxes to record point

totals at the lesson checkout

step. The student receives one

point for each question or

activity s/he completes correctly.

Use these boxes to track

which components of the

lesson checkout the

student completed

correctly or incorrectly.

Record the

student's point

total for the

unit here.



Extras: Level Word Lists, Bookmarks, & Laudable Lexicologist Awards

FromSatellites to

Space Stations

accumulated

achieve

adapt

artificial

atmosphere

challenges

complex

data

deposits

encountered

extended

intervals

key

minimize

natural

objective

optimal

remote

respond

revolves

secure

significant

stationary

transmit

The World of Butterflies

analyze

anatomy

commences

comprised

contrast

declines

determined

distinguish

diverse

emerge

environment

maintain

mature

migrate

modify

released

routes

sequence

similar

specific

transforms

undergo

unique

welfare

Ancient Egyptians

archeologists

arduous

culture

deteriorated

enabled

eroded

exposure

exquisite

fascinated

hypotheses

illustrations

indicates

insights

looted

motive

obvious

preserved

prior

promoted

proximity

representation

symbol

triumphing

unearthed

Barrier Breakers

accomplish

agenda

career

compete

confident

contributions

demonstrated

devoted

discrimination

dominated

excelled

inspired

major

mocked

obstacles

overcome

passion

permitted

pursue

requested

respected

segregated

superior

talented

Mysteries

architect

assist

characteristics

civilization

confirm

considered

contained

cryptic

dismissed

evidence

hoax

intriguing

merge

perplexed

persisted

pessimistic

precise

quest

simultaneously

site

structures

suggested

tracking

yielded

Courageous Kids

advocate

affected

agency

anxious

appeals

aspects

assumed

attempting

consequences

diagnosed

effective

endanger

exploiting

informed

inquired

legislation

organize

petition

poverty

propaganda

raising

research

stated

treatments

Goldenrod Level Word Lists

Laudable Lexicologist Bookmarks

LaudableLexicologist

Congratulations!You have completed

CourageousKids



From Satellites to

Space Stations



Barrier Breakers



Ancient Egyptians



Mysteries



The World of Butterflies

Goldenrod LevelGoldenrod LevelGoldenrod LevelGoldenrod LevelGoldenrod LevelGoldenrod Level

Level word lists are lists of

target words, organized by

unit. You can hang these

sheets in the classroom to

remind yourself and

students to use the target

words as frequently as

possible. You can also use

these lists to create

bookmarks for students

after they complete a unit.

Photocopy a Laudable

Lexicologist bookmark page

on the back of a level word

list page to create

bookmarks. You can give

bookmarks to students each

time they complete a unit.

Parent/Guardian Comments ____________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature ______________________________________________________

______________________ has completed four units of Take Aim at Vocabulary! This

Laudable Lexicologist has worked through 16 challenging lessons and learned 96 high-quality

vocabulary words. Your child has successfully completed numerous activities that promote

vocabulary development, including using context clues, analyzing word parts, hink pink word

puzzles, and more! Please share your Laudable Lexicologist's accomplishment by discussing

the vocabulary words, pretest and posttest scores, and activities. Then, return the bottom of

this sheet to school with your comments.

____________________________________________ __________ __________

Unit Title Pretest Score Posttest Score

____________________________________________ __________ __________


____________________________________________ __________ __________


____________________________________________ __________ __________


Teacher Comments ____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

Laudable Lexicologist

To keep parents involved

in the learning process,

you can send a Laudable

Lexicologist award home

each time a student

completes four units.





Monitoring Student PerformanceOnce students begin working in the Take Aim at Vocabulary™ program, it is important to

monitor their performance and adjust the program to maximize their success. Use all of the

information available to you to determine how your students are progressing, including

classroom observation, scores on activities and posttests, and target graphs.

It is especially important to ensure that students are spending their time appropriately. If a

student is spending time inappropriately, modify the steps for him/her. For example, if a student

spends a lot of time sketching detailed pictures for the Sketch Target Words section, you may

require the student to write a word or phrase instead of sketching a picture or have the student

use a timer to allow one minute per sketch.

If a student isn't making the progress you expect while working in Take Aim, ask yourself the

following questions:

� How does the student spend time? Too much time waiting? Too much time sketching the

pictures? Too much time on additional activities?

� Is the level of material appropriate?

� How is the student's attendance and health?

Then choose an appropriate intervention.

Using the Scores Summary

Using the scores summary to record a student's point totals will help you monitor whether s/he

is improving from unit to unit. You may also use this form to look for patterns in the student's

work.

This form allows you to record data for four units at a time. At lesson checkout, note whether

the student completed the activities correctly, and check the student's responses to the questions

against the unit answer key. Each correctly completed question or activity is worth one point.

Note that the student gets one point for each word s/he sketches correctly, one point for each

question s/he answers correctly, and so on. When you check the student out of a unit, you can

add the total number of points the student received for the unit. If a student completes a unit

perfectly, s/he will score 102 points. If you use the optional activities, you may score these how

you see fit and add points to the total. You will also record the student's pre and posttest scores

and dates on the scores summary, but these scores do not count toward the student's point total.

The Answer Comprehension Questions section of the scores summary provides spaces for you

to record how the student did on each type of question (main idea, detail, vocabulary in context,

and inferential). This information will help you look for patterns and know which area(s) of

comprehension to work on with certain students. For example, you may notice that a student

consistently has trouble answering the main idea comprehension question. In this case, you

could work on that skill. Similarly, the Lesson Checkout section of the form provides spaces for

you to record whether or not the student passed on each item (read target words, read story

fluently, defined target words, and completed activities) in his/her first checkout attempt. If you

add a fluency component to your Take Aim program, you may record students' words correct

per minute scores in this section. See the Key Features section of this manual for a picture and

description of this form.

Adapting the ProgramYou may need to adapt the Take Aim at Vocabulary™ program for some students in order to

maximize success. The following sections describe adaptations that may work well for certain

students.

Adapting Take Aim for Independent Work

Some students working in Take Aim may require less teacher assistance than others. If students

are capable of making progress while working independently for the entire period (e.g., during

station work), you may adapt Take Aim to accommodate these students.

To increase independence, you may allow students to mark the checklist in the upper-right

corner of the student packet worksheet page themselves. When students complete all four

requirements, they move on to the next lesson. Then, at the end of the period, you will collect

the student packets and correct the students' activities, circling incorrect answers. The next day,

students make the necessary corrections.

This adaptation eliminates the need for teachers to advance students from lesson to lesson.

However, teachers still must be involved to check students out of each unit. Your involvement

at unit checkout ensures that a student does not begin working in a new unit until s/he scores

well on the posttest and has a solid understanding of the target words.

Adapting Take Aim for High-Performing Students

In addition to increasing independence, you may consider making further adaptations for high-

performing students. Use your discretion to determine which activities are most beneficial for

high-performing students, and adjust the program so that they spend more time on these

activities and less time on activities that are too easy for them.

Consider the following adaptations for high-performing students:

� Allow students to read the story and definitions without audio support.

Note: Students should still use the audio support for the context clues and word parts

lessons.

� Allow students to skip the Read to Master activity. They should spend their time studying

the vocabulary instead.

� Assign the optional activities (e.g., enrichment questions, crosswords, and open-ended

questions) as homework.





Adapting Take Aim for Low-Performing Students

Some students may find certain activities challenging. Others may struggle with reading the

stories. The following sections provide ideas for helping these students have increased success.

If a student continues to struggle in all areas and becomes frustrated, you may consider

reassessing the student to determine if the level of material is appropriate.

Student Has Difficulty With Activities

If a student has trouble with the Answer the Comprehension Questions activity, check the scores

summary to see which type of questions the student tends to miss. Then teach the student how

to answer these types of questions. Remind the student to look back in the text for clues. The

detail, vocabulary, and inferential questions typically refer to a specific section of the story.

Encourage the student to re-read these sections to figure out the answers to the questions. The

main idea question asks the student to determine what the story is mostly about. The student

may re-read the story as many times as is needed to figure out the answer.

If the student has trouble with the Clarify Target Words activity, the student should go back and

carefully re-read the target words and their definitions, both in context and by themselves.

Remind the student to use the audio support to read along with the definitions. Also remind the

student to use the clues around the target words to help the student understand the words'

meanings. You may also require the student to study the target words using the flashcards in the

student packet. If students fully understand the target words, they should be able to answer

these questions.

If a student has trouble with the Analyze Target Words activities, you may want to work through

each type of activity in this section with the student to be sure the student understands what to

do. You may also need to provide additional instruction on parts of speech, synonyms, and

antonyms.

Student Has Difficulty Reading the Story

If a student finds the story too challenging, it is important to make sure the student actually

reads along and subvocalizes with the narration. The student can also do additional read-alongs

with the story audio, using the first version of the story in the lesson.

In addition, while the student practices the story, remind him/her to look up challenging words

in the glossary and read the definitions along with the CD. Understanding all of the vocabulary

in the story will help the student understand the story and read it more fluently.

Student Has Difficulty With Unit Posttests

If a student has difficulty with the unit posttest, ensure that the student is putting in sufficient,

meaningful study time. You may consider requiring the student to complete the enrichment

questions and some or all optional unit activities in the student packet. The crossword and

flashcards require the student to refresh his/her knowledge of each definition.

If a student scores poorly on the posttests and you suspect that the time limit creates too much

stress, you may consider letting that student try the posttests un-timed. If you give a student an

un-timed posttest, indicate this on the student's target graph.

Adapting Take Aim to Include a Fluency Component

To boost motivation or build fluency, you may want to adapt Take Aim to include a fluency

component. For this option, students do timed readings of the story. When the student reaches

Section F (Read to Master), the student times him/herself reading the story out loud. S/he does

this several times until s/he can read the story well. You may also consider setting a fluency

goal for the student. In this case, the student times him/herself reading the story until s/he

reaches the goal. The student marks words correct per minute (wcpm) scores in the student

packet.

At the lesson checkout step, you determine whether the student is able to read the story fluently.

S/he must read the story with minimal errors and good expression. If you set a wcpm goal, the

student must be able to read at the goal rate. If the student reads the story fluently, s/he gets a

checkmark toward the bull's-eye.





Communicating With Parents/GuardiansCommunicating with students and parents/guardians will help you ensure that students have a

positive experience with Take Aim at Vocabulary™ and that they continue, both in school and at

home, to deepen their vocabulary.

When a student begins working in Take Aim, it is helpful to send home a letter explaining the

program so that parents/guardians are involved from the beginning. A blackline master of such

a letter is included in Blackline Master Book One.

You can keep parents/guardians involved in the process by sending home student packets each

time a student completes a unit. You can use the level word lists and the Laudable Lexicologist

bookmarks (found in Blackline Master Book One) to create bookmarks that feature the list of

vocabulary words that the student studied in a unit. Attach a bookmark to the unit when you

send it home.

When a student completes four units, you can send his/her most recent student packet home

with a Laudable Lexicologist award (found in Blackline Master Book One) as a cover letter. On

this award, you can include comments about the student's progress and record the student's

pretest and posttest data. You can also send home a copy of the student's target graph sheet to

provide parents/guardians with a visual depiction of the student's vocabulary gains.

When a student is making gains, it is important to celebrate this success with both the student

and his/her parent(s)/guardian(s). Recognizing the student's success can be very motivating.

If the student is not making the gains you expect while working in Take Aim, try the following:

� Make suggestions to parent(s)/guardian(s) about how they can work on vocabulary with

their child at home. Encourage them to review the target words with the student at home

and, if possible, to incorporate them into conversations with the student. You may also

encourage parent(s)/guardian(s) to do the optional additional unit activities (crossword, etc.)

with the student at home.

� Discuss the lack of progress with the student's parent(s)/guardian(s). They may have

information to help you better understand the student.

Extending the Vocabulary LearningAs your students learn new words, it is important to help them understand the importance of

vocabulary. There are a variety of ways you can extend your students' vocabulary learning both

in and out of the classroom.

At School

To make vocabulary an integral part of your classroom and also help your students understand

the new words they are learning in Take Aim at Vocabulary™, consider the following ideas:

� Use Take Aim target words and other high-quality vocabulary words as frequently as you

can when communicating with your students. For example, instead of saying, "class will

start at 9," say, "class will commence at 9." Instead of telling students to "work hard," tell

them to "work diligently."

� Reward students for using Take Aim target words and other vocabulary words correctly in

classroom conversation, homework, etc.

� Encourage students to look up new words as they encounter them, and make dictionaries

readily available.

� Create spelling tests using Take Aim target words. Instead of saying the word and having

students write it, say the definition and have students write the word. Be sure to use words

from units all students have completed.

� Make the word lists for a Take Aim level into a large poster, and hang it in a central

location.

� Give students story-writing assignments, and encourage them to use as many Take Aim

words as possible in their stories.

� To review words the student has already learned, assign optional activities from Take Aim

units the student has already completed.

� Play Take Aim games with your students (some ideas are described in the Take Aim Game

Ideas section).

Incorporating these and other vocabulary-centered ideas into your Take Aim program is likely to

increase your students' motivation and success. The sooner students learn to pay attention to

words and their meanings, the better!





At Home

To extend students' vocabulary learning beyond the classroom, consider the following ideas:

� Assign optional Take Aim activities (enrichment activities, crosswords, compare the

lessons, and extend the target words activities) as homework.

Note: You may assign optional activities for the unit that the student has just finished

or, for review, you may assign optional activities from packets the student has

previously completed.

� Send a Laudable Lexicologist bookmark home with the student each time s/he completes a

unit. Laminate these bookmarks and/or print them on colored cardstock so that they last

longer.

� Encourage parents/guardians to work with their children on vocabulary. Send home word

and definitions cards so that students can play Take Aim games at home.

� Encourage students and parents/guardians to use Take Aim words at home as frequently as

possible.

Take Aim Game Ideas

The following game ideas are fun ways for students to refresh and deepen their knowledge of

the target words.

All games require photocopies of the flashcard pages from student packets. Use flashcard pages

from units that all of the students have completed. Make single-sided photocopies of these

pages so that you have pages with just the words and pages with just the definitions.

Bingo

You can play Take Aim Bingo as a class. Give each student a different Bingo card containing

12 Take Aim words. Each student's Bingo card must be unique. Then cut up the definition

cards that correspond to the words you used for the students' Bingo cards, and mix them up in a

box.

To play, select a definition from the box and read it aloud. If the student has the matching word

on his/her Bingo card, s/he will mark it off. The first student to mark all 12 words is the winner.

Note: You could also give students Bingo cards of the definitions, and put the words in the

box.

Jeopardy

You can play Take Aim Jeopardy as a class.

To play, read from the definitions cards and state each definition in the form of an answer (e.g.,

"This word means completely grown or fully developed"). The first student to raise his/her

hand gets to respond first. S/he should state the correct word in the form of a question (e.g.,

"What is mature?"). S/he gets a point if s/he answers correctly. Play until you've gone through

each of the definitions. The student with the most points at the end is the winner.

Concentration

Two or more students can play Take Aim Concentration together. For Concentration, you

should photocopy word and definition cards on cardstock so that students can't see through

them.

To play, students will mix the word and definition cards together and lay them face down on the

floor or a table. They will take turns turning over a card. They must read the word or definition

on the card they turned over. Then they will turn over another card, attempting to find the card

that goes with the word or definition (i.e., if they turn over a word, they will try to find the

matching definition). They must read this card as well. The student with the most pairs at the

end of the game wins.





Lesson Plan 1: Amazing Ants Training UnitBefore working in the Take Aim at Vocabulary™ program, students must learn how to use the

materials. The Amazing Ants training unit (found in the appendix of this manual) is a shortened

version of a regular Take Aim unit. Use Amazing Ants to introduce the Take Aim program to

your students.

This lesson is intended for a small group (six or fewer students). The lesson will require about

five 30-minute periods, or about three 45-minute periods.

You will need the following materials:

� All 12 of the Take Aim textbooks for a level

� Level word lists (hang in the classroom)

� Photocopies of the Amazing Ants student packet (one for each student, plus one for you)

� A timer (for you)

� Regular pencils (one for each student, plus one for you)

� Amazing Ants answer key (for you)

� Target graph sheets (one for each student, plus one for you)

� Folders (one for each student, plus one for you)

� Red/blue pencils (one for each student, plus one for you)

� Photocopies of the Amazing Ants textbook (one for each student, plus one for you)

� Amazing Ants audio CD (for you)

� CD player with speakers (so that all students can hear)

� Overhead projector or chalkboard (optional)

� Context Clues, Sketch Target Words, and Hink Pink activities on transparencies or

chalkboard/whiteboard (optional)

� Red/green pouches (optional)

The following script shows one way that you can introduce the training unit to your students.

You may want to follow this script word for word, or you may choose to read through it as

preparation and then introduce the training unit in your own words.

When using this script, you will say everything that appears in plain text. Sentences in italics

are directions or student responses.

Identify the Goal

Before class begins, hang the level word lists in a spot that the students can easily see.

Today we'll be starting a new program called Take Aim at Vocabulary. The goal of Take Aim is

to learn new vocabulary words. What is vocabulary, and why is it important?

Possible student responses:

� Vocabulary is about words and their meanings.

� Understanding the meanings of words helps us communicate clearly.

� Reading and writing are two ways we communicate every day.

� Improving our vocabulary helps us become better readers and writers.

There are 12 units in each level of the Take Aim program. Each unit has its own textbook.

Show students the textbooks.

Direct students' attention to the level word lists. These lists show you all of the vocabulary

words that you'll learn in this level of Take Aim. If you finish all 12 units, you'll learn 288

words!

Before you start working in these units, it's important to learn how the Take Aim program

works. We are all going to work together to learn the steps. We will be working in what's

called a training unit. This unit is shorter than the regular units I just showed you. The training

unit is called "Amazing Ants."

Introduce the Student Packet

Give each student an Amazing Ants student packet and a pencil.

This is a student packet. Please write your name at the top of the page.

Every time you start a new unit, you'll get a packet for that unit. This is the packet for Amazing

Ants. This packet is where you'll write all of your answers. You won't write in the textbooks.

The textbooks are nonconsumable, which means they are meant to be reused.

Explain the Unit Pretest

Remember, the goal of Take Aim is to learn new vocabulary words. In the Take Aim program,

we call them "target words." Each textbook teaches a different set of target words. But before

you even open the textbook, you'll take a short unit pretest. The pretest will show how many of

the target words you already know. That way, when you finish the unit, you'll be able to see

how many words you learned.

Look at the first page of your student packet. This is the unit pretest. There are sentences on

the left side of the page and target words on the right. These are the words you have to know in

order to pass this unit.

When you take the pretest, the first thing you should do is read all of the target words on the

right-hand side of the page. Let's read them together. Ready? "Danger. Crop. Suit.Advanced. Scientist. Elaborate. Manage. Immense."

Now, let's read the first definition on the left-hand side of the page. Ready? "A person whocarefully studies the world, often using tests and experiments, is a(n) ____ ." If necessary,





explain why the "n" is in parentheses.

Which target word completes this sentence? Give students a few seconds to answer.

The correct answer is scientist, which is letter E. So, write the letter E in the blank space. Writethe letter E in the blank space.

You'll do the rest of the pretest by yourself. If you don't know an answer, put a question mark

instead of a letter in the blank space, and then move on to the next definition. Please don't

guess. The purpose of this pretest is to figure out how many of the target words you understand

before starting the unit. Guessing on the pretest may give you an inaccurate score, so it is

important to only answer the questions you know. As you work in the unit, you will learn the

words you don't know.

You'll have two minutes to finish this pretest. Remember, read the definition sentence first, and

then find the word that completes the sentence. Ready? Time the students for two minutes asthey work on the pretest.

Correct the Unit Pretest

Now we're going to correct the pretest. Today we will correct our answers together. But when

you start working independently, you'll correct your pretest by yourself using this answer key.

Show students the unit pretest answer key.

For each target word that you defined correctly, write the letter C (for "correct") in front of the

number. Ready?

1-e. 2-d. 3-h. 4-a. 5-g. 6-c. 7-f. 8-b.

Now count the number of correct answers. Write that number at the bottom of the page, where

it says "Pretest number correct." Give students a moment to record their scores.

When you start working independently, I won't be timing you on the unit pretests. You'll be

timing yourself! Instead of just one section, the pretest will have three sections. And instead of

having two minutes to complete it, you will have six minutes.

Introduce the Target Graphs

Give each student a target graph, and keep one for yourself.

This is the target graph. Write your name at the top of this sheet. Each time you take a unit

pretest, you'll write down the date and the name of the unit. Today's date is ______, so you'll

write that on the first line. Write the date. Normally, you would also write the name of the unit.

This is the training unit, so the name is already written for you: "Amazing Ants."

Now, using blue, you'll fill in the number of target words that you answered correctly on the

pretest. For example, if my score was 2, I would fill in the first two squares on the target graph.

On the Amazing Ants graph, fill in the first two squares in blue.

After you're done working on this unit, you'll take a posttest. The posttest is just like the

pretest. It will have all the same words. Your goal for the posttest is to get a bull's-eye. As you

can see, you'll have to answer all 8 questions correctly to get a bull's-eye in the Amazing Ants

unit. Give each student a red/blue pencil or a blue colored pencil/crayon, and instruct them tofill in their target graphs.

Introduce the Folder

Give each student a folder.

Everyone will have his or her own folder. This is where you'll keep your target graphs, student

packets, pencils, and anything else you need while working in a Take Aim unit.

At the end of class, you'll put your folder here. Show students where you will keep the folders.

Introduce the Textbook

Give each student an Amazing Ants textbook.

This is the Amazing Ants textbook. Because it is just a training unit, we'll be using photocopies.

When you start working independently, you'll use the textbooks I showed you earlier.

It's very important that you don't write in the textbooks. All of your answers go in your student

packet. Hold up the student packet to remind students where they write their answers.

Explain the Title Page and Glossary

Now, look at page 1 of your Amazing Ants textbook. This is the title page.

Below the title, you can see the target words that you defined in the pretest. Let's read these

target words together. Ready? "Advanced. Crop. Danger. Elaborate. Immense. Manage.Scientist. Suit."

The table of contents shows which lessons are in the textbook. Let's read the name of the lesson

together. Ready? "How Advanced Are Ants?"

Amazing Ants is the training unit, so there's only one lesson. But when you start working

independently, each book will have four lessons.

Each textbook also has a glossary. The glossary defines all of the target words, plus some other

words in the story that may be new. Let's look at the glossary and read one of the definitions.

Turn to page 9, and look at the definition for the word advanced.

Let's read this definition together. Ready? "Advanced. Adjective. Advanced means havingmore skills or being more developed than others. Ali has very advanced math skills, so heunderstands math problems that most people don't understand."

Introduce the CD

You may have noticed the small number 7 next to the word advanced. You'll see lots of small

numbers like this when you're reading the textbooks. That's because each unit has its own CD.

The CD has recordings of the stories, glossary words, instructions, and some mini-lessons. The

small numbers in the textbook match up with the track numbers on the CD. Show students theAmazing Ants audio CD.

The word advanced has a 7 next to it, so let's listen to track 7. As you listen to the audio, read

along quietly with the narrator. Play track 7.

When you're working independently, you'll use your own CD and CD player. So, when you

need to hear the definition of a glossary word, just look at the number next to the word, and

play that track.





Section A. Read the Target Words

Turn to page 3 in your textbook. Let's read the title of this lesson together. Ready? "HowAdvanced Are Ants?"

After the title, we see Section A: Read the Target Words. The target words are the vocabulary

words you will learn in this lesson. You must be able to pronounce the target words accurately

and fluently in order to pass.

Notice the small number 1 after the name of the section. Remember, when you see a small

number like this, it means you should listen to that track on the CD. For this training unit, we'll

do this activity together. But when you're working independently, you will do this step by

yourself, using headphones and your own CD player.

Let's listen to track 1. When the narrator read the target words, read along quietly. Play track 1.

Now that we have completed Section A, take out your student packet and turn to page 2. Notice

that the story's title is at the top of the page: "How Advanced Are Ants?" Before you write in

your student packet, you should always check the title and make sure it matches the story you're

working on in the textbook. Look at Section A in your student packet. Make a checkmark on

the blank line next to Section A to show that you have finished this section.

Section B. Read the Story

Now, look at Section B: Read the Story. In this section, you'll quietly read the story along with

the narrator. You'll need to read the story accurately and fluently by the time you're done with

this unit, so it's important that you read along with the narrator. Remember, you'll normally be

wearing headphones and working by yourself.

As you read the story, notice the bolded target words. Also notice that one additional word,

which is not a target word, is bolded. In this story, it is the word "master." Pay close attention

to this word—and to the target words—as you read. You will have to answer questions about

them later.

Also notice the track numbers next to the target words and some additional words in the story.

These track numbers indicate which words are defined in the glossary. If you don't know what

a word means, you can look it up in the glossary later. Play track 2.

Now, go back to your student packet. Make a checkmark on the blank line next to Section B to

show that you have finished this section.

Section C. Read to Understand Target Words

In Section A, you heard the target words. In Section B, you read a story that used those words.

Now, turn to page 4 in your textbook. In Section C, you'll read the story again. But this time,

you'll learn the definitions of some of the target words. Knowing these definitions will help you

understand the story. Play track 3.

Now, go back to your student packet. Make a checkmark on the blank line next to Section C to


Section D. Use Context Clues

Context clues are words and sentences around a difficult word. Context clues are important

because they can help you figure out the meaning of a difficult word even if you don't have a

dictionary. So, Section D is a mini-lesson in how to use context clues to figure out the meaning

of one of the target words you haven't learned yet. Context clues are very helpful when you are

trying to figure out the meaning of an unknown word.

Optional: Set up the Context Clues transparency, located in the appendix of this manual, orduplicate the content on a chalkboard or whiteboard. Guide students through the examples.

Let's listen to track 4. Play track 4.

Now, go back to your student packet. Make a checkmark on the blank line next to Section D to


Section E. Read to Understand More Target Words

Now look at page 5. Section E is called Read to Understand More Target Words. It's the same

as Section C, except you'll hear definitions for the other target words. Remember, you need to

know the meanings of these words in order to pass. Immense, the target word we learned in

Section D, will be defined. As you read along, notice the context clues surrounding this word.

Play track 5.

Now, go back to your student packet. Make a checkmark on the blank line next to Section E to


Section F. Read to Master

Section F is called Read to Master. Let's listen to track 6. Play track 6.

Turn back to page 3, as the narrator said. On page 3, you'll read the story at least three more

times by yourself. As you know, the best way to improve at something is through practice.

Practicing at least three times will help you master the target words, read the story fluently, and

understand it better. You will need to be able to do these things in order to check out of a

lesson. As you practice, you should read quietly, but out loud.

Before you begin, look at Section F in your student packet. Notice that there are three lines,

labeled "first read, second read, and third read." After you read the story the first time, make a

checkmark on the first line to show that you're done with the first read. Then, do the same thing

when you finish your second and third readings.

When you're reading the story, you'll notice that some words have a track number next to them.

A track number means the word is in the glossary. So, whenever you need to know a definition,

you can play that track on your CD.

Now look at page 3 in your textbook. Read the story's first sentence with me. Ready? "Whichanimals do you regard as advanced?"

What should you do if you don't know the word regard? Give students a moment to answer.

Regard has the number 32 next to it, which means this word is defined in the glossary and on

the CD. Let's find the word regard in the glossary. Regard is on page 10.

Read along quietly with the narrator as I play track 32. Play track 32.





Remember, you have to be able to read the story fluently and master the target words. When

you're unsure about a glossary word, look it up and listen to the CD.

Now, I'll give you ten minutes to read the story three times. If you finish all three readings, read

the story a fourth time—or even a fifth time! The more times you read the story, the better

you'll understand the target words and the story. Remember to mark your student packet for

each practice. If you practice more than three times, you can draw extra lines next to the three

that are already there.

Give the students about ten minutes to complete Section F.

Section G. Answer the Comprehension Questions

Now turn to page 6 in your textbook, and look at Section G. In order to pass this lesson, you

have to answer four comprehension questions. The questions will help you understand the story

better.

The first question will always ask about the main idea of the story. This question is asking what

the story is mostly about. You may need to go back and read through the story to figure out the

answer to this question.

Let's read the first question together. Ready?

What is the main idea of this story?e. A colony of ants can do many advanced things.f. Ants live in almost every part of the world.g. An ant colony manages its own food supply.

Give students a moment to answer.

The correct answer is E: A colony of ants can do many advanced things. F and G are both true

statements, but they don't tell the main idea of the story.

Remember, you'll never write in your textbook. So, open your student packet to page 2. Notice

that Section G has four blank spaces for questions 1 through 4. This is where you'll write your

answers. In the blank space next to number 1, write the letter E.

You may be wondering why the question uses the letters E, F, and G for the answers instead of

A, B, and C. These questions use different letters because the correct answers will fit into a

word puzzle. You will learn about that word puzzle, which is called a hink pink, a little later.

Now, we'll move on to the second question. The second question will always ask about a detail

from the story. You may need to go back to a certain section of the story and read carefully in

order to figure out the answer to this question. Answer the second question with the students. Ifnecessary, show students how to go back to the story and re-read the section that contains theanswer.

The third question will always ask about the definition of a word. Remember on page 3, when

we noticed that the word master was bold even though it isn't a target word? That's because the

third question is about this word. You will use context clues to figure out the word's meaning.

To answer this question, find the bolded word in the story. Read the context clues around the

word, and try to figure out what the word means. Then choose the answer you think is correct.

Answer the third question with the students. If necessary, show students how to use the contextclues surrounding this word to figure out its meaning.

The fourth question will always ask you to make an inference. An inference is when you use

facts from the story to figure out something that the author didn't actually say. You may need to

go back and re-read certain sections of the story in order to figure out the answer to this

question. Answer the fourth question with the students. If necessary, show them how to use thestory text to answer the inferential question.

Section H. Sketch Target Words

Now that we've finished answering the comprehension questions, we will look at Section H:

Sketch Target Words on page 6 of the textbook. This section gives a definition for each target

word in the lesson. In order to check out of this lesson, you must be able to define each of the

target words. In Section H, you'll sketch these words in order to learn them better.

Look at page 2 of your student packet. Notice Section H. There's a box for each of the target

words. The numbers in these boxes match the numbers next to the target words in your

textbook. In your textbook, notice that the word advanced is number 5. So, in your student

packet, write the word advanced on the blank line next to number 5.

Optional: Set up the Sketch Target Words transparency, located in the appendix of this manual.Or, on the chalkboard or whiteboard, draw a box that looks like the one on the transparency.Write the word advanced in box 5.

It will be easier for you to remember a word's meaning if you make a quick sketch of it or write

a few words describing what the word means to you. So, I'm going to play the audio for the

word advanced. After listening to the audio, you will have one minute to make a sketch of the

word. Play track 7. Then, if you are doing this activity along with the students, make a sketchin the box. Be sure the sketch takes less than one minute.

The purpose of this exercise isn't to spend a lot of time making a great drawing. The purpose is

to make a quick sketch that will help you remember what the word means. It does not matter

what you draw, as long as your sketch makes sense to you and helps you understand the word.

In your student packet, make a quick sketch that shows what the word advanced means to you.

You'll have one minute. Ready? Give the students one minute to make their sketches.

Repeat this procedure for the three remaining target words (elaborate, immense, and suit).Have students write the target word in the box, then play the audio track, and give students oneminute to make a sketch.

Section I. Clarify Target Words

On page 7 of your textbook, look at Section I: Clarify Target Words. In order to check out of

this lesson, you must be able to define each of the target words. In Section I, you'll get a better

understanding of these words by answering questions about the words' meanings.

If you don't know the answer to one of these questions, the best strategy is to look at the

definition of the word the question is asking about. These definitions are in Section H of your

textbook. Understanding the meaning of the word will allow you to answer the question

correctly.

We'll take five minutes to complete the questions in Section I. Remember to write your answers

in your student packet. If necessary, show students where to write answers for Section I.





If you finish this section early, turn to page 6 in your textbook and study the target words. To

study, read the target word and try to think of its definition. Then, read the definition to see if

you were right.

Give students about five minutes to complete Section I.

Section J. Study Word Parts

Turn to page 8 in your textbook, and look at Section J: Study Word Parts. Complex words are

often easier to understand if you know the meanings of certain word parts, such as prefixes,

suffixes, or roots. If necessary, take a moment to explain what prefixes, suffixes, and roots are.

In the first lesson of each unit, you'll do an activity that helps you learn a word part.

Let's listen to track 11. Play track 11.

Now, whenever you see this word part added to another word or word part, you will have more

information about what the word means. Like context clues, word parts can be important tools

in helping you figure out the meanings of words you don't know.

Use what you learned in Section J to answer the questions. Give students about two minutes tocomplete this activity.


This activity is optional.

On page 8 of your textbook, look at the Enrichment: Apply the Target Words questions. For this

section, you'll answer four questions. Each question uses a target word. You will need to know

the meaning of the target word in order to answer the question. Remember that if you don't

know the target word's meaning, you can go back to Section H to review it.

When you are working in a regular unit, your student packet will have a full page that is blank.

You will write the answers to these questions on this page. Because this is the training unit,

your student packet does not have a blank page in it. So, you can write your answers to these

questions in the blank space on page 6. Show students where to write their answers—below theExtend the Target Words questions on page 6.

Please use complete sentences when you answer these questions. Give students a few minutesto complete this activity.

Section K. Check the Hink Pink

Set up the Hink Pink transparency, located in the appendix of this manual, or write thefollowing on the board:

A large hog is a big pig.

Read this sentence with me. Ready? "A large hog is a big pig."

This sentence is an example of a hink pink. A hink pink is a word puzzle. The words in the

first line are synonyms for the words in the last line. And the words in the last line rhyme!

For example, large is a synonym for—or means the same as—big. Hog is a synonym for pig.

And in the last line, big rhymes with pig.

Sometimes, the words in a hink pink will have two syllables. When this happens, it's called a

hinky pinky. And if there are three syllables, it's a hinkity pinkity!

Let's do some more hink pinks together. Use the Hink Pink transparency, or write the followingon the board:

A chubby kittyis a__ __ __ __ __ __.

A humorous rabbitis a__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.

Work with the students to solve these hink pinks The answer to the first one is "fat cat," and theanswer to the second one is "funny bunny."

You've answered all of the multiple-choice questions in the lesson, but you still don't know if

your answers are correct. On page 2 of your student packet, look at Section K: Check the Hink

Pink. In this section, you'll use a hink pink to find out if you've answered the questions

correctly.

Notice the numbers below each of the blank spaces: 4, 3, 11, 1, and so on. Each of these

numbers matches up with a question you answered. If you answered all of the questions

correctly, the letters will spell out a hink pink. If you answered some questions incorrectly, your

hink pink will not make sense. The words won't rhyme, or the words in the first part won't be

synonyms for the words in the second part.

Let's fill in part of the hink pink together. For question number 1, the answer is E. So, in the

hink pink, find the blank space with the number 1 beneath it, and write the letter E. Now, take a

moment to fill in the rest of your letters.

Give students a couple minutes to complete their hink pinks.





Lesson Checkout

Now that you've finished every section in the lesson and completed the hink pink, it's time to

check out. This is when you'll show me that you've mastered the lesson.

Turn to page 2 in your student packet. Look at the picture of a bull's-eye on the right-hand side,

and notice the four blank spaces next to it. This is a checklist of things you need to do in order

to check out of a unit. You have to show me that you did all four of these things: read target

words, read story fluently, defined target words, and completed activities.

When you finish the hink pink, you'll let me know that you're ready to check out. Tell studentshow they should alert you.

Optional: If you are using red/green pouches, introduce them now. Tell students the red/greenpouch is like a traffic light. When they work with the green side facing up, it means the studentdoesn't need any help and the teacher can go. When they work with the red side facing up, itmeans the teacher should stop and help.

I'll come to your seat, and I'll ask you to read the target words, read the story fluently, and

define each target word. Then, I'll check your answers to the questions using my answer key. If

any of your answers are wrong, I'll circle them—and it will be your job to go back and correct

them.

Normally, when you check out, it will be just you and me, and I will make the checkmarks on

the checklist. But today, everyone will check out as a group, and you will make the

checkmarks, so that you can see how it works.

The first thing on the checklist is "Read Target Words." So, turn to page 3 in your textbook, and

as a group, read the target words in Section A. Ready? Let the students read the words.

Good. Now, in your student packet, put a checkmark on the first line, where it says "Read

Target Words."

The second thing on the checklist is "Read Story Fluently." Go back to page 3 in your textbook,

and read the story out loud, as a group. Ready? Let the students read the story.

Good. Now, in your student packet, put a checkmark on the second line, where it says "Read

Story Fluently."

The third thing on the checklist is "Defined Target Words." We can't do this as a group, so

would someone please volunteer to define advanced in his/her own words? Repeat this step forthe words elaborate, immense, and suit.

Now that all of the target words have been defined, put a checkmark on the third line, where it

says "Defined Target Words."

The last thing on the checklist is "Completed Activities." You can't finish the lesson until

you've answered all of the questions correctly. So, let's correct the hink pink to see how you

did. I'll read the letters one at a time. Please circle any letters that you got wrong. Ready?

S-A-F-E A-N-T S-N-U-G B-U-G

What does your hink pink say? "A safe ant is a snug bug." Does your answer make sense?

Are the words in the first line synonyms for the words in the last line? Does the last line

rhyme? If you made a few mistakes, that's okay. Remember, when I come to you for checkout,

I will tell you which of your answers are incorrect. Then it will be your job to go back and

correct your answers.

Optional: As a group, you may want to go through a question that several students got wrong,and explain the correct answer.

We'll take a few minutes so that everyone has a chance to correct their answers. If you finish

early, or if you answered all the questions correctly the first time, turn to page 6 in your

textbook and study the target words. Read each word, and say the definition to yourself.

Complete Unit Activities

Because this is the training unit, there's just one lesson in this unit. But when you start working

independently, each unit will have four lessons. You will do a hink pink and lesson checkout

for each of these lessons.

After you check out of all four lessons, you'll complete activities that use target words from all

four of the lessons. Turn to page 3 in your student packet. This section is called Analyze Target

Words. In this section, you'll learn more about the target words by using them in new ways.

Let's read the directions for part one. Ready? "Read the target word in the center of thediagram. Think about words or phrases you know that are related to this target word. Writethese words in the empty ovals."

Why do you think the word suit is bolded? Give students a moment to answer.

The word is bolded because you have to know the meaning of this target word in order to fill in

the rest of the ovals. What does suit mean? Give students a moment to answer.

What should you do if you're not sure what suit means? You should use the glossary or look atSection H in your unit textbook. If you know what suit means, you should be able to complete

this activity.

Give students a few minutes to complete this activity.

Now, let's read the directions for part two. Ready? "Read the target words in the boxes. Then,read the words listed above the boxes. Write each of the words from the list in the appropriatebox."

Look at the three boxes. Read these three words with me. Ready? "Elaborate. Advanced.Immense."

Now, let's look at the list of words above the boxes. The word huge is the first one in the list.

Which box does huge belong in? Is the word elaborate related to the word huge? No. Is the

word advanced? No. Is the word immense related to the word huge? Yes.

So, write the word huge in the box that says immense.

Give students a few minutes to complete this activity, and have them share their answers.

Sometimes, the activities will be the same as the ones you see on this page. Other times, the

activities will be different. It's your responsibility to read the directions and complete the

activities. If you don't know how to do a certain activity, alert me and I will come help you.

You will keep working on other activities while you wait for me to come help you.

Optional: If you plan to have students complete additional unit activities, such as thecrossword, explain that they will have more activities to do after finishing the Analyze TargetWords activity. Tell them you will explain these activities later.





Study the Target Words

After you complete the additional unit activities, you will study for the posttest. The posttest is

a test just like the pretest. You will take the posttest at the end of your work in a unit.

Studying for the posttest is extremely important. You should not take the posttest until you

know the definition for each and every target word. You need to do well on the posttest in order

to complete this unit and begin working in a new one. Success on the posttest will also give

you proof of how well you learned the target words. And, if you get all the answers on the

posttest correct, you'll get a bull's-eye on your target graph! So, make sure you study carefully.

Close your student packet, and turn back to page 6 in your textbook. We'll take a few minutes

to study the target words. Model the correct way to study.

Introduce the Crossword and Additional Activities

This section is optional. If you want students to work on these activities as part of posttestpreparation, or if students need more practice before moving on to another unit, you canincorporate them into your Take Aim program. You may also assign them as homework orassign them later on as review.

Remember, the goal of Take Aim is to learn more words. There are extra activities in your

student packet that will help you learn the target words better. These extra activities will help

you get a good understanding of all the target words in the unit. One of these activities is the

crossword puzzle. Please turn to page 5 in your student packet. Explain how to do a crosswordpuzzle, and give the students a few minutes to work on it.

Another activity is called Extend the Target Words. This activity helps you learn words that are

very similar to the target words because they have the same word parts. Explain the firstquestion to the students. Give them a few minutes to work on the rest.

There are also flashcards at the end of each student packet. These can be very helpful when you

are studying for the posttest. Explain that either you or the students will create the flashcardsby cutting along the dotted lines. You will have small cards with a word on one side and its

definition on the other. You can quiz yourself on how well you know the target words by

looking at the word and trying to remember or say its definition. You can turn the card over to

see if you were right.

Regular units also have a Compare the Lessons activity. For this activity, you will answer

questions that compare one lesson in the unit to another. The training unit does not have this

activity, because there is only one lesson.

Take the Posttest

Now, turn to page 4 of your student packet. This is the posttest. As the title says, you will

show what you've learned. The posttest is just like the pretest. At the end of every unit, you'll

take the posttest to see how many of the target words you learned. In order to complete the unit

and move on to the next one, you need to do well on the posttest.

Close your textbook, and open your student packet to page 4. Remember, when you're taking

this test, the first thing you should do is read the target words on the right-hand side of the page.

Next, read the first definition on the left-hand side of the page, and find the target word that

completes the sentence. We only studied four of the target words, but eight are in the test.

When you take a real posttest, you will have studied all of the words before you take it.

Like the pretest, the posttest is timed. When you work independently, you will time yourself

and have six minutes to complete the posttest. Today I will time everyone together, and you'll

have two minutes. Ready? Time the students for two minutes as they work on the posttest.

Correct the Posttest

To make things faster, you'll correct your own posttest today. But normally, I'll be the one who

corrects your posttest. When you finish the test, you will alert me. Remind students how youwould like them to alert you.

For each item you get correct, write the letter C (for "correct") in front of the number. Ready?

1-c. 2-a. 3-g. 4-e. 5-d. 6-h. 7-b. 8-f.

Now count the number of correct answers. Write that number at the bottom of the page, where

it says "Posttest number correct." When I correct your posttest, I will write this number.

Fill in the Target Graph

Show the students your sample target graph. Remember, my pretest score was 2, so the first

two boxes are already filled in with blue. The filled-in blue boxes show how many target words

I knew before I started the unit. Now, using red, I'm going to fill in the number of words I

knew after I finished the unit.

For example, if my posttest score was 7, I would start with the third box, and fill in the graph up

to 7. Using the red side of the pencil, fill in the graph up to 7.

Now I can see how much progress I made during this unit. The filled-in red boxes show how

many target words I learned.

Open your folder, and take out your target graph. Fill in the number of target words that you

answered correctly on the posttest. If you know all of the target words in the unit, you get a

bull's-eye! The goal is to get as many bull's-eyes as you can. The more bull's-eyes you get, the

more your vocabulary will grow—and having a big vocabulary will make you a better reader!



Lesson Plan 2: Walk Through Regular UnitAfter your students have completed the Amazing Ants training unit, they are ready to begin

working in the regular Take Aim at Vocabulary™ textbooks. Before students begin working

independently, you may want to walk students through the first lesson of their first unit.

This lesson will require two to three 30-minute periods, or one to two 45-minute periods.

You will need the following materials for this lesson:

� Level word lists (hang in the classroom)

� Folders (one for each student)

� Target graphs (put one copy in each folder)

� Unit steps list (put one copy in each folder)

� Scores summary (put one copy in each folder)

� Regular pencils (put one in each folder)

� Red/blue pencils (put one in each folder)

� Red/green pouches (put one in each folder) (optional)

� CD players (one for each student)

� All 12 of the Take Aim textbooks

� Photocopies of student packets (at least one student packet per textbook), organized in the

Take Aim storage box with divider tabs.

� All 12 Take Aim Unit CDs

� Unit answer keys (one of each, for the teacher)

� Unit pretest answer keys (one for each student; keep in central location)

� Timers (at least one per three students; keep in a central location)

Note: As you photocopy student packets for this lesson, you may want to run off several

copies of each packet and store them behind the appropriate tabs in the Take Aim

box so that they're ready when students need them.

You may follow this script word for word, or you may choose to read through it as preparation

and then instruct students in your own words. When using this script, say everything that

appears in plain type. Sentences in italics are directions or student responses.



Introduce the Lesson

Before you begin the lesson, pass out students' folders and CD players. Each folder shouldinclude the student's target graph, a unit steps list, a scores summary, and a red/blue pencil (orred and blue colored pencils/crayons).

Now that you've finished the Amazing Ants training unit, you're ready to begin using the regular

unit textbooks. Today we'll go through the Take Aim steps one more time as a group. But this

time you'll each have a different unit. Show students the textbooks and review the titles.

Gather Materials

Remember, to work in Take Aim, you need a unit textbook, a student packet, and a CD. We

will store the textbooks, packets, and CDs in these boxes. Explain how textbooks and studentpackets are organized in the box, separated by the divider tabs and/or stored in file folders.Explain where you will keep the case of audio CDs.

In a minute, everyone will choose a unit to work in. Don't worry if someone takes the unit you

wanted. Each book only takes a few days to finish, so you'll get to choose another one soon.

Eventually, each person will have a chance to work in each unit.

I'll demonstrate how to start a unit. First, I'll choose a textbook. Take the textbook for unit 1.Notice the markings on the spine of each textbook. These show you the unit number of the

textbook. They will help you select your new unit quickly. For example, if you know you have

already worked in unit 1, you will not choose this textbook. Show students the single markingon the spine of the textbook for unit 1. The numbers and titles are also listed here on the side of

the box.

Next, I'll take a student packet. Show students how to use the divider tabs to find the studentpacket that corresponds to the unit 1 textbook. I have to make sure I take the correct packet, so

I'll read the title and look at the picture on the front of the packet and make sure it matches my

textbook.

Next, I'll take the CD. I have to make sure I take the correct CD, so I'll read the label and make

sure it matches my textbook. Take the CD. If necessary, teach students the proper way tohandle CDs.

Instruct students to gather their materials as you have demonstrated. To avoid conflicts, youmay want to send one student at a time, in alphabetical order.

Introduce the Unit Steps List

Now, open your folder. Take out the unit steps list. This is a list of the steps you will complete

for each unit of Take Aim. If you are unsure of what to do next, look at this list.

Notice that the first step on the list says "Unit Pretest." This is the first thing you will do each

time you begin a new unit. After you finish taking the pretest and marking your graph, you will

look at this list as a reminder of what to do next.



Take the Unit Pretest

Look at the front page of your student packet. Remember, the first thing you'll do when you're

starting a new unit is take the pretest.

When you took the pretest for the training unit, there was only one section. But in the regular

units, the pretest has three sections. You will have six minutes to complete the whole test.

Normally, you'll time yourself. Show students how to use timers. The timers are kept here.

Remind students where the timers are kept.

Today we're doing the first lesson together, so I'll time everyone as a group. The first thing you

should do for the pretest is read the target words on the right-hand side of the page. Next, read

a definition on the left-hand side of the page, and find the target word that completes the

definition.

If you don't know an answer, put a question mark instead of a letter, and then move on to the

next one. Please don't guess. The purpose of this pretest is to figure out how many words you

know before starting the unit. Guessing could give you an inaccurate score.

Tell students when to begin and when to stop.

Today, because I timed you and we all took the pretest together, you used the full six minutes

for the pretest. When you take pretests in the future and time yourself, you can stop whenever

you're finished taking the test—even if the six minutes is not up yet.

Correct the Unit Pretest

When you finish the pretest, you'll correct it using the unit pretest answer key.

The pretest answer keys will be kept here. Tell students where the pretest answer keys are kept.Normally, you will come up and get an answer key to correct your pretest. You will return it

when you are done using it.

Today, I'll hand them out so that we can correct our answers more quickly. Hand out the pretestanswer keys, and give students a moment to correct their answers.

Now, write the number of correct answers on the line at the bottom of the page. Give students amoment to record their scores.

When you're done, return your answer key.

Graph Pretest Score

Next, take your target graph out of your folder. On the graph below "Amazing Ants," write

today's date and the name of the unit you're working on. Today's date is ______.

Then, using blue, mark the number of correct answers you got on the pretest. Give students amoment to mark their graphs.



Sections A–E

If necessary, teach students how to use the CD players.

In Take Aim, it's important to complete the four lessons in order. So, open your textbook to the

first lesson, which is on page 3. Now follow along as I review the sections.

Section A: Read the Target Words. In this section, you'll read the target words along with the

CD. Notice that there are six target words.

Section B: Read the Story. In this section, you'll read the story along with the CD.

Page 4, Section C: Read to Understand Target Words. In this section, you'll read the story again

along with the CD. As you're reading, you'll learn the definitions of three target words.

Section D: Use Context Clues. In this section, you'll use context clues to figure out the meaning

of one of the target words.

Page 5, Section E: Read to Understand More Target Words. This section is just like Section C,

except you'll learn the other three target words. You will also notice the context clues

surrounding the word you learned in Section D.

When you get to Section F, you'll turn back to page 3 and practice reading the story.

Now, please open your student packets to page 2. Remember to make a checkmark after you

finish each section.

Instruct students to begin working, starting with Section A. Tell them to alert you when theyreach Section F. If you are using red/green pouches, remind students how to use them.

Section F

When the first student reaches Section F, tell students to stop working.

Some of you have started Section F: Read to Master. Remember, when you're working on

Section F, you'll read the story three times. Each time you read the story, you'll make a

checkmark in your student packet. Show students where to make the checkmark.

If you don't know what a word means, look for the track number next to it. The track number

means you can look up the word in the glossary and listen to the definition.

Now, please continue working. Tell students to alert you when they finish Section F.



Sections G–I

When the first student finishes Section F, tell students to stop working.

Some of you have finished Section F. Now, turn to page 6 in your textbook. When you're done

with Section F, you'll go to Section G: Answer the Comprehension Questions. Remember, these

questions will be about the story. You'll use the context clues around one of the bold words in

the story to figure out the answer to the third question. You'll write your answers in your

student packet.

When you finish the comprehension questions, you'll go on to Section H: Sketch Target Words.

In this section, you'll listen to the first word, using the track number next to the word. Then,

you'll stop the CD and take one minute to make a quick sketch in your student packet. The

sketch should show what the word means to you. It will help you remember the word. Ifnecessary, point out the appropriate sections in the student packet for students to recordanswers and make sketches.

After you listen to all six words and make a sketch for each one, you'll move on to Section I:

Clarify Target Words. These questions will help you understand the meaning of each target

word better. You'll write your answers in your student packet. If you get stuck on one of the

questions, use the definitions of the target words in Section H to help you.

Section J

When you finish the questions, you'll turn to page 8 in your textbook and work on Section J:

Study Word Parts. This section has a track number next to it, so you'll listen to track 13 and

then answer the questions.

For the second, third, and fourth lessons in a unit, Section J is different. Turn to page 14 in your

textbook. Notice that Section J for this lesson is called Review Target Words and does not have

a track number. For the second, third, and fourth lessons in each unit, Section J will have

questions about the words taught in the previous lesson. For example, Section J for lesson two

will ask questions about some target words from lesson one. Section J for lessons two, three,

and four might also include a question that uses the word part you learned in the Study Word

Parts table.

The questions in Review Target Words will be just like the questions you answered in Section I:

Clarify Target Words. If you don't know the answers, you can look in the glossary for the

definition of the bolded word.


This activity is optional.

The Enrichment: Apply the Target Words questions will help you learn the words better because

you will apply them to your own experience. You will write your answers to the Enrichment

questions on the blank sheet of paper in your student packet. The blank sheet is on the back of

the posttest—page 8. You may need to look up the definitions of the target words in order to

answer these questions. Remember to use complete sentences.



Section K

When you've answered all the questions, you'll do Section K: Check the Hink Pink. Look at

Section K in your student packet. You will write each answer on the blank above the number

that matches the question. Remember, if the hink pink is correct, the first two words will be

synonyms for the last two words, and the last two words will rhyme.

Now, please begin working on Section G: Answer the Comprehension Questions. Continue

working until you are finished with Section K. Tell students to alert you when they finishSection K.

Lesson Checkout

When the first student finishes Section K, tell students to stop working.

Some of you have finished the hink pink. When you're done with the hink pink, it's time to

check out. Tell students how you would prefer them to alert you (raise hand or turn up redcard) when they are ready to check out.

Please look at your student packet. Remember, the checklist on the right-hand side tells you the

four things you have to do in order to check out: read target words, read story fluently, defined

target words, completed activities.

When I see that you're ready to check out, I'll come to your seat and make sure you can do these

four things. If you got any of the questions wrong, I'll circle them, and then it will be your job

to go back and correct your answers.

Notice in your folder that you have a scores summary sheet. This sheet allows me to keep track

of how you do on the activities. When I come to your seat to do the lesson checkout, I will

mark the scores summary.

If you are ready for checkout and I am working with another student, you should continue

working until I am able to come to you. You can study the target words, practice reading the

story, or re-check your answers to the questions to make sure you have answered them correctly.

I will come to your seat as soon as I can.

After you check out of this lesson, you are ready to go on to the second lesson in the unit. I will

continue this training after the first student completes all four lessons, which may take a few

days. Remember to try to get as many bull's-eyes as you can!

When you meet with students for lesson checkout, use the unit answer key to correct thestudents' responses. Record the students' correct and incorrect responses on the scoressummary.



Remaining Steps

When the first student finishes all four lessons, tell students to stop working.

In a few minutes, you can get back to work on lessons 1 through 4. But right now, I want to

remind you about the things you'll do after you finish all four lessons.

After you check out on the fourth lesson, you'll do the Analyze Target Words activities. Notice

that your unit steps list reminds you to do these activities. The Analyze Target Words activities

are in your student packet, after lesson 4. Show students the correct page in the student packet,and remind them what to do.

Optional: If you are requiring students to complete additional activities, remind them how tocomplete the crossword, Compare the Lessons, and Extend the Target Words activities.

When you finish these activities, you will study for the posttest. Study until you feel confident

that you know the meanings of all the target words without looking at the definitions.

If necessary, remind students how to study. If you want students to study using the flashcards,explain this now. If you plan to have students complete the optional activities, explain that theycould work on these as well.

After you've completed your studying, you'll take the posttest. You'll time yourself for six

minutes using one of the timers. If necessary, remind students how to use the timers.

When you're done with the posttest, you'll signal me to check your answers. I will correct your

posttest as well as your answers to Analyze Target Words (and any additional activities I haveasked you to complete). I will record your scores on the scores summary in your folder. Then

you'll take out your target graph and mark your posttest score in red.

If you had trouble with the posttest, I might ask you to do some additional activities, study some

more, and retake it. It is important that you learn the definitions of all the target words before

you move on to a new unit.

Now, please continue working. Remember, if I am working with another student and you need

me, you should continue working until I am able to come to you. Study the target words,

practice reading the story, or re-check your answers to the questions (or additional activities) tomake sure you have answered them correctly. I will come to your seat as soon as I can.



AppendixThis appendix includes blackline masters needed for training. You will find all other blackline

masters needed for the Take Aim at Vocabulary™ program in Blackline Master Book One and

Blackline Master Book Two. The blackline masters in this appendix include the following:

� Context Clues training activity (optional)

� Sketch Target Words training activity (optional)

� Hink Pink training activity (optional)

� Amazing Ants training unit textbook

� Amazing Ants training unit student packet

� Amazing Ants training unit answer key

Context Clues Training Activity (Optional)

You can make this page into a transparency to use while training students to complete the

context clues activity, or recreate the content on a chalkboard or whiteboard. You may also use

this blackline master to create Context Clues worksheets for students.

Read each example on this page with your students, and discuss how the context clues

(underlined words) suggest the meaning of the bolded word. Explain how the context clues

show that accolades means praise, foliage means leaves on trees, and livid means very mad.

Sketch Target Words Training Activity (Optional)

You can make this page into a transparency to use while training students to complete the

Sketch Target Words activity, or recreate the content on a chalkboard or whiteboard. Use the

examples below to demonstrate how to do the Sketch Target Words activity.

Advanced. Write a simple math problem and a complicated math problem. Circle the

complicated one to show that it is more advanced.

Elaborate. Draw a wedding cake that is elaborate.

Immense. Draw a mountain and a hill; a castle and a hut; an elephant and a mouse. Circle the

one that is immense.

Suit. Draw a big dog house for a big dog and a little dog house for a little dog. Explain that

the big house suits the big dog, and the little house suits the little dog.

Hink Pink Training Activity (Optional)

You can make this page into a transparency to use while training students to complete the Hink

Pink activity, or recreate the content on a chalkboard or whiteboard. You may also use this

blackline master to create Hink Pink worksheets for students.

The answer to Hink Pink #1 is, "A chubby kitty is a fat cat." The answer to Hink Pink #2 is, "A

humorous rabbit is a funny bunny."



Amazing Ants Training Unit Textbook

Photocopy an Amazing Ants training unit textbook for each student you place in the Take Aim

program. You will use the training unit in conjunction with the lesson plan in this manual to

teach students to use Take Aim and work independently through most of the steps.

Even though training unit textbooks are photocopies, discourage students from writing in them.

Students will not write in regular Take Aim materials, and you may also want to re-use the

photocopies with other classes.

Amazing Ants Training Unit Student Packet

Photocopy a training unit student packet for each student you place in the Take Aim program.

Students will write answers to the questions, pretests, posttests, and other activities in these

packets as they work through the training unit.

Amazing Ants Training Unit Answer Key

Photocopy the Amazing Ants answer key to correct students' pretests, posttests, and other

activities as they work through the training unit.



Context Clues Activity

1. accolades

She got many accolades for her performance in the

play. Many people in the audience complimented her,

and several newspapers praised her in their reviews.

2. foliage

Maple trees have pretty foliage in Autumn. Their leaves

turn beautiful shades of red, orange, and yellow.

3. livid

She was livid when she heard the news. She started

yelling and throwing a fit.



Sketch Target Words Activity

5. Advanced 6. Elaborate

7. Immense 8. Suit



Hink Pink Activity

A hink pink is a word game. Use the underlined clue to come

up with two rhyming words that mean the same thing as the

clue.

Example:

A large hog

is a

big pig.

1. A chubby kitty

is a

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ .

2. A humorous rabbit

is a

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ .



Copyright © 2008 Read Naturally, Inc. 1 Amazing Ants

Take Aim! at Vocabulary – Training Unit

Table of Contents

Lesson 1 How Advanced Are Ants? ............................................................3

Glossary ....................................................................................................................9

Training Unit

Amazing AntsTextbook

advanced crop danger elaborate

immense manage scientist suit

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Take Aim! at Vocabulary – Training Unit


Take Aim! at Vocabulary – Training Unit How Advanced Are Ants?

Which animals do you regard 32 as

advanced 7? Do you think of ants as

advanced? Many scientists 33 do. These

insects 24 can do amazing 13 things. They can

even match many human 23 achievements 12.

Like people, ants manage 26 their own

food supply 36. Many ant colonies 16 grow

crops 19 of tiny 38 mushrooms 30. Many

colonies keep aphids 14 as livestock 25.

Like people, ants communicate 17 to let

each other know what is happening. They

communicate in a quick and clear way. For

example 22, a colony is sometimes suddenly 35

in danger 20. Right away, many ants know

about the danger. They also know how to

react 31.

Like people, ants change their

surroundings 37 to suit 10 their needs. They

are master 27 builders. They dig elaborate 8,

underground 40 nests. They build flood

traps 21 to keep out rain. Their colonies can

be immense 9. In 2002, people found one

with billions 15 of ants. It covered 18 almost

4,000 miles 28!

Like people, ants live in almost every

part of the world. There are over a

million 29 trillion 39 ants! In many ways, ants

are Earth's most successful 34 animals.

Scientists think ants have lived on Earth for

100 million years!

(179 words)

How Advanced Are Ants?

A. Read the Target Words 1

B. Read the Story 2

advanced elaborate immense suit


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C. Read to Understand Target Words 3

Which animals do you regard as

advanced?

Advanced means having more skills or

being more developed than others.

Do you think of ants as advanced? Many

scientists do. These insects can do amazing

things. They can even match many human

achievements.

Like people, ants manage their own food

supply. Many ant colonies grow crops of

tiny mushrooms. Many colonies keep

aphids as livestock.

Like people, ants communicate to let



example, a colony is sometimes suddenly in

danger. Right away, many ants know about

the danger. They also know how to react.


surroundings to suit their needs. They are

master builders. They dig elaborate,

underground nests.

Elaborate means very detailed, fancy,

or complex.

They build flood traps to keep out rain.

Their colonies can be immense. In 2002,

people found one with billions of ants. It

covered almost 4,000 miles!


part of the world. There are over a million

trillion ants! In many ways, ants are Earth's

most successful animals. Scientists think

ants have lived on Earth for 100 million

years!


D. Use Context Clues 4

Their colonies can be immense. In 2002, people found one with billions of ants. It

covered almost 4,000 miles!



E. Read to Understand More Target Words 5

Which animals do you regard as

advanced? Do you think of ants as

advanced? Many scientists do. These

insects can do amazing things. They can

even match many human achievements.

Like people, ants manage their own food

supply. Many ant colonies grow crops of

tiny mushrooms. Many colonies keep

aphids as livestock.

Like people, ants communicate to let



example, a colony is sometimes suddenly in

danger. Right away, many ants know about

the danger. They also know how to react.


surroundings to suit their needs.

Suit means to fit or be right for

something.

They are master builders. They dig

elaborate, underground nests. They build

flood traps to keep out rain. Their colonies

can be immense.

Immense means very big.

In 2002, people found one with billions of

ants. It covered almost 4,000 miles!


part of the world. There are over a million

trillion ants! In many ways, ants are Earth's

most successful animals. Scientists think

ants have lived on Earth for 100 million

years!


F. Read to Master 6

Turn to page 3.

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H. Sketch Target Words 7–10


5. advanced 7(adjective)

Advanced means having more skills or

being more developed than others. Alihas very advanced math skills, so heunderstands math problems that mostpeople don't understand.

6. elaborate 8(adjective)

Elaborate means very detailed, fancy, or

complex. The elaborate cake wascovered with roses and fancy frostingdesigns.

7. immense 9(adjective)

Immense means very big. The immensehotel had 40 levels and hundreds ofrooms.

8. suit 10(verb)

Suit means to fit or be right for

something. She wanted an outfit thatwould suit the formal concert, so shebought a fancy black dress.

1. What is the main idea of this story?

e. A colony of ants can do many

advanced things.

f. Ants live in almost every part of the

world.

g. An ant colony manages its own food

supply.

2. How long do scientists think ants have

lived on Earth?

t. 4,000 years

u. 100 million years

v. billions of years

3. What does master mean in this story?

a. able to do something very well

b. the boss of others

c. the owner of slaves

4. Why does each ant know how to react

when the colony is in danger?

r. because ants have elaborate,

underground nests

s. because ants communicate with each

other in a quick and clear way

t. because ant colonies are immense

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9. Which of the following is the most

immense?

r. a pond

s. a lake

t. an ocean

10. An elaborate house would have

__________ .

e. one simple room and old furniture

f. empty rooms and no furniture

g. fancy rooms and nice furniture

11. This part of the garden should suit this

plant. It has __________ sun.

e. too little

f. the right amount of

g. too much

12. Who probably has the most advanced

Spanish-speaking skills?

l. a student studying Spanish

m. someone who just learned Spanish

n. someone who has spoken Spanish

his whole life

I. Clarify Target Words Am

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J. Study Word Parts 11

A prefix is a letter or group of letters that is added to the beginning of a word to make a

new word. A prefix has its own meaning, and it changes the meaning of the word.

13. The subway is underground, so we are

__________ when we walk on the

street.

g. above the subway

h. below the subway

i. at the subway's level

14. Jack wanted to see the underside of the

turtle, so he __________ .

a. watched as it walked by

b. picked it up and turned it over

c. moved so he would be in front of it

Prefix Meaning of Prefix Prefix + Word New Word Meaning of New Word

under- belowunder + ground underground below the ground

under + foot underfoot below the foot or feet

Enrichment:


a. What is an area in which you have advanced skills?

b. If you built an elaborate fort, what might it look like?

c. Many mountains are immense. What other things can be immense?

d. A new knife is a gift that would suit a chef. What gifts would suit a teacher?

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Take Aim! at Vocabulary – Training Unit Glossary

Glossary

achievement 12(noun)

An achievement is something someone

completed, won, or made real. Won Ho'sgreatest achievement this year was passingthe big math test.

advanced 7(adjective)

Advanced means having more skills or being

more developed than others. Ali has veryadvanced math skills, so he understands mathproblems that most people don't understand.

amazing 13(adjective)

Amazing means very impressive, special, or

great. The amazing little dog swam all theway across the lake.

aphid 14(noun)

An aphid is a small bug that

drinks the juice from plants.

billion 15(noun)

A billion is a very large number equal to a

thousand millions.

colony 16(noun)

A colony is a group that lives together.

communicate 17(verb)

Communicate means to tell or share

information and ideas. My friend and Icommunicate by sending each other an emailevery week.

cover 18(verb)

When things cover something else, they go all

the way over it or spread out over it. Twoblankets cover the bed.

crop 19(noun)

A crop is a grain, vegetable, or

other plant that farmers grow.

danger 20(noun)

If something is in danger, it is in an unsafe

spot or situation. We knew the garden was indanger when the bad storm hit, so we coveredthe garden with plastic sheets.

elaborate 8(adjective)

Elaborate means very detailed, fancy, or

complex. The elaborate cake was coveredwith roses and fancy frosting designs.

flood trap 21(noun)

A flood trap is a wall or barrier that forces

flood water into one area in order to protect

another area from becoming flooded.

for example 22(adverb)

For example are words a person sometimes

says just before showing or telling you what

something is like. People sometimes get sickwhen they eat too much sweet food; forexample, too much cake and ice cream cancause a stomachache.

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human 23(adjective)

Human describes a person or

people.

immense 9(adjective)

Immense means very big. The immense hotelhad 40 levels and hundreds of rooms.

insect 24(noun)

An insect is a small animal that

has six legs and often has

wings. A fly is an insect; so isa beetle.

livestock 25(noun)

Livestock are animals, such as

horses or cattle, that are raised

on a farm.

manage 26(verb)

Manage means to handle or take care of

something. I manage the cleaning at ourhouse—I make sure the dishes are washed, thefloors are mopped, and the tables are dusted.

master 27(adjective)

Master describes someone who is able to do

something very well. The master chef madeexcellent food.

mile 28(noun)

A mile is a way to measure distances or how

far it is from one place to another. One mile

is the same as 5,280 feet. Most people canwalk one mile in about 20 minutes.

million 29(noun)

A million is a very large number equal to a

thousand thousands.

mushroom 30(noun)

A mushroom is a soft,

umbrella-shaped fungus.

Some kinds of mushrooms

can be eaten. Mushrooms

are often white, brown, or tan.

react 31(verb)

React means to respond to something or to do

something because another thing has

happened. If you touch a hot stove, you willreact quickly by moving your hand.

regard 32(verb)

Regard means to think about or see something

a certain way. I speak to my grandpa politelybecause I regard him with respect.

scientist 33(noun)

A scientist is a person who

carefully studies the world,

often using tests and

experiments. One scientistmay watch and study animals, while anotherscientist might study the weather.

successful 34(adjective)

To be successful is to do well at something.

A good teacher is successful in helping herstudents learn.

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suddenly 35(adverb)

Suddenly means quickly and without warning.

While we were driving, a deer suddenly ranout from the trees and in front of our car.

suit 10(verb)

Suit means to fit or be right for something.

She wanted an outfit that would suit theformal concert, so she bought a fancy blackdress.

supply 36(noun)

A supply is a group of things that are stored

and then used when needed. Our apple treesgrew lots of apples this year, so we had alarge supply of apples to make jams and pies.

surroundings 37(noun)

Surroundings are all the things around a

person, place, or thing. The trees around theschool are part of the school's surroundings.

tiny 38(adjective)

If something is tiny, it is very small. An ant istiny, and a house is big.

trillion 39(noun)

A trillion is a very large number equal to a

thousand billions.

underground 40(adjective)

Underground means below the ground. Therabbit went down the hole to its undergroundhome.



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Take Aim! at Vocabulary – Training Unit Student Packet

Training Unit

Amazing AntsUnit Pretest

Name _____________________

Exercise A

1. A person who carefully studies the world, often using tests a. danger

or experiments, is a(n) ____ . b. crop

2. A person with many skills or a thing that is very developed is ____ . c. suit

3. If something is very big, it is ____ . d. advanced

4. If something is in an unsafe spot or situation, it is in ____ . e. scientist

5. If you handle or take care of something, you ____ it. f. elaborate

6. If something will fit you or be right for you, it will ____ you. g. manage

7. If something is very detailed, fancy, or complex, it is ____ . h. immense

8. A plant that a farmer grows is a(n) ____ .

Pretest number correct: ______

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9. ____

10. ____

11. ____

12. ____


13. ____ 14. ____

J. Study Word Parts

5. ______________________________ 6. ______________________________

7. ______________________________ 8. ______________________________

Read Target Words: ______Read Story Fluently: ______Defined Target Words: ______Completed Activities: ______

A ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

is a

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ .

K. Check the Hink Pink

4 12 2 10 14 2 13

4 3 11 1 3 12 9




A.–E. Read With the CD (pages 3–5 in the textbook)

A. ____ B. ____ C. ____ D. ____ E. ____

____ ____ ____

1. ____ 2. ____ 3. ____ 4. ____


F. Read to Master

3rd read1st read 2nd read

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acket

huge skilled detailed smart giant intelligent

beautiful size wide developed fancy complex

2. Read the target words in the boxes. Then, read the words listed above the boxes.

Write each of the words from the list in the appropriate box.

elaborate

____________________

____________________

____________________

____________________

advanced

____________________

____________________

____________________

____________________


suit

appropriate

just right

1. Read the target word in the center of the diagram. Think about words or phrases you

know that are related to this target word. Write these words in the empty ovals.

immense

____________________

____________________

____________________

____________________



Completed #1: ______Completed #2: ______

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Exercise A

1. If something is in an unsafe spot or situation, it is in ____ . a. elaborate

2. If something is very detailed, fancy, or complex, it is ____ . b. manage

3. A person who carefully studies the world, often using tests c. danger

or experiments, is a(n) ____ . d. advanced

4. If something will fit you or be right for you, it will ____ you. e. suit

5. A person with many skills or a thing that is very developed is ____ . f. immense

6. A plant that a farmer grows is a(n) ____ . g. scientist

7. If you handle or take care of something, you ____ it. h. crop

8. If something is very big, it is ____ .

Posttest number correct: ______

Show What You've LearnedUnit Posttest



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Crossword

Across

1 a person who carefully

studies the world, often using

tests and experiments

4 to handle or take care of

something

6 below the ground

8 very big

Down

1 to fit or be right for

something

2 very detailed, fancy, or

complex

3 having more skills or being

more developed than others

5 a grain, vegetable, or other

plant that farmers grow

7 when something is in an

unsafe spot or situation

Word Bank

advanced

crop

danger

elaborate

immense

manage

scientist

suit

underground



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a. Information that has to do with science is scientific information. If you needed to collect

scientific information, you could _____________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

b. The pyramids in Egypt are immense, so the pyramids have immensity. Another example

of something that has immensity is ___________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

c. If the weather suits the farmer's crops, the weather is suitable. What kinds of clothes are

suitable for cold weather? __________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________



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advanced

elaborate

scientist

crop

immense

suit

manage

danger

Amazing Ants – Training Unit Amazing Ants – Training Unit Amazing Ants – Training Unit

Amazing Ants – Training Unit Amazing Ants – Training Unit Amazing Ants – Training Unit

Amazing Ants – Training Unit Amazing Ants – Training Unit

Am

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an unsafe

spot or situation

to handle or take

care of something

a grain, vegetable, or other

plant that farmers grow

very big

to fit or be right

for something

a person who carefully studies

the world, often using tests

and experiments

very detailed, fancy, or

complex

having more skills or being

more developed than others

Copyright © 2008 Read Naturally, Inc. Amazing Ants

Take Aim! at Vocabulary – Training Unit Answer Key

Training Unit

Amazing AntsAnswer Key

Lesson 1:



1. e

2. u

3. a

4. s


9. t

10. g

11. f

12. n

J. Study Word Parts

13. g

14. b

K. Hink Pink

A safe ant is a snug bug.


Crossword

Extend the Target WordsAnswers will vary.

1. Answers will vary.

2. elaborate: detailed, beautiful, fancy, complex

advanced: developed, skilled, smart, intelligent

immense: huge, giant, size, wide

Pretest

1. e

2. d

3. h

4. a

5. g

6. c

7. f

8. b

Posttest

1. c

2. a

3. g

4. e

5. d

6. h

7. b

8. f

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BibliographyBaumann, J., Edwards, E., Boland, E., Olejnik, S., & Kame'enui, E. (2003). Vocabulary tricks: effects of

instruction in morphology and context on fifth grade students' ability to derive and infer word meanings.

American Educational Research Journal, 40 (2), 447–494.

Baumann, J. F., Edwards, E. C., Font, G., Tereshinski, C. A., Kame'enui, E. J., & Olejnik, S. (2002). Teaching

morphemic and contextual analysis to fifth-grade students. Reading Research Quarterly, 37, 150–176.

Baumann, J., Kame'enui, E., & Ash, G. E. (2003). Research on vocabulary instructing: Voltaire redux. In J.

Flood, D. Lapp, J. R. Squire, and J. M. Janswn (Eds.), Handbook on research on teaching the English

language arts, second edition (pp. 753–785). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Beck, I. L., McKeown, M. G., & Kucan, L. (2002). Bringing words to life. Robust vocabulary instruction. New

York: Guilford Press.

Beck, I. L., Perfetti, C., & McKeown, M. G. (1982). Effects of long term vocabulary instruction on lexical access

and reading comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 74 (4), 506–521.

Beck, I. L. & McKeown, M. G. (2007). Increasing low-income children's oral vocabulary repertoires through rich

and varied instruction. Elementary School Journal, 107 (3), 251–271.

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Index

A

adapting the Take Aim program

for high-performing students, 38

for independent work, 38

for low-performing students, 39

to include a fluency component, 40

additional unit activities. See steps.

Amazing Ants. See training unit.

analyze target words, 3, 22, 33, 56, 65

answer keys

assessment answer key, 11

unit answer keys, 13, 21, 23, 64

unit pretest answer key, 12, 18, 47, 61

answer the comprehension questions (Section G), 20,

28, 51, 63

apply the target words (enrichment), 21, 29, 53, 63

assessments

administration of, 17

description of, 11

audio CD players

care of, 15

description of, 14

using in a lesson, 48, 60

audio CDs

care of, 15

description of, 10

using in a lesson, 19, 48, 60

awards. See Laudable Lexicologist award.

B

Bingo (game), 43

blackline masters, 9, 11, 66–67

bookmarks. See Laudable Lexicologist bookmarks.

bull's-eye. See lesson checkout.

C

CD players. See audio CD players.

CDs. See audio CDs.

check the hink pink (Section K), 21, 54, 64, 66, 70

checkout. See lesson checkout.

clarify target words (Section I), 20, 28, 52, 63

compare lessons activity, 24

complete unit activities (Step 3). See steps.

comprehension questions. See answer the

comprehension questions (Section G).

Concentration (game), 44

context clues, 3, 19, 27, 49, 62

training activity, 66, 68

correcting students' work. See lesson checkout.

crayons/colored pencils, 14, 47, 58, 61, 65

crossword, 24, 57

D

definitions. See glossary.

divider tabs, 13, 59

E

earphones, 14

end-of-level assessment, 11, 17

enrichment. See apply the target words (enrichment).

extend the target words activity, 24

F

flashcards, 24, 43, 57

folders. See student folders.

G

games, 43

glossary, 4, 10, 30, 48

graphs

marking the target graphs sheet, 18, 23, 24, 47,

58, 61

sending the target graph sheet to

parents/guardians, 41

target graphs sheet, 12, 35, 58

H

headphones. See earphones.

hink pink. See check the hink pink (Section K).

J

Jeopardy (game), 43

L

Laudable Lexicologist award, 12, 36, 41

Laudable Lexicologist bookmarks, 12, 36, 41, 43

lesson checkout, 21, 32, 55, 64

lesson plans

Amazing Ants training unit, 45–58

regular unit, 59–65

lessons 1–4 (Step 2). See steps.

level assessment, 11, 16, 17

level word lists, 12, 36, 41, 46

M

materials

additional materials

audio CD players, 14

crayons/colored pencils, 14

earphones, 14

student folders, 14

timers, 14

caring for, 15

optional materials

file folders, 15

reading guides, 15

red and green pouches, 15



program materials

audio CDs, 10

blackline master books, 11

divider tabs, 13

storage box, 13

teacher's manual, 9

unit textbooks, 10

monitoring student performance, 37

O

optional unit activities

description of, 24

overview of, 22

overview

of teacher responsibilities, 7

of the procedure, 7

of the program, 6

P

parent letter, 12, 41

parents/guardians, communicating with, 41, 43

posttest. See unit posttest.

pouches. See red and green pouches.

pretest. See unit pretest.

R

read the story (Section B), 19, 26, 49, 62

read the target words (Section A), 19, 26, 49, 62

read to master (Section F), 19, 27, 50, 62

read to understand more target words (Section E),

19, 27, 50, 62

read to understand target words (Section C), 19, 27,

49, 62

red and green pouches, 15, 55, 62

research supporting Take Aim

intermediate grade-level achievement, 5

learning principles, 4

learning strategies, 3

teaching methods, 2

word selection, 1

retake unit posttest and re-mark target graph. Seesteps.

review target words (Section J), 20, 29, 63

S

scores summary, 12, 21, 35, 37, 64, 65

scripts. See lesson plans.

Section A. See read the target words (Section A).

Section B. See read the story (Section B).

Section C. See read to understand target words

(Section C).

Section D. See use context clues (Section D).

Section E. See read to understand more target words

(Section E).

Section F. See read to master (Section F).

Section G. See answer the comprehension questions

(Section G).

Section H. See sketch target words (Section H).

Section I. See clarify target words (Section I).

Section J. See study word parts (Section J) or review

target words (Section J).

Section K. See check the hink pink (Section K).

semantic mapping. See analyze target words.

sketch target words (Section H), 20, 28, 52, 63, 66,

69

steps

complete additional unit activities (optional), 24,

57

complete unit activities (Step 3), 22, 56

lessons 1–4 (Step 2), 19, 49

retake unit posttest and re-mark target graph

(optional), 24

study target words (Step 4), 23, 57

take unit posttest and mark target graph (Step 5),

23

take unit pretest and mark target graph (Step 1),

18, 61

storage box, 13, 59

student folders, 14, 35, 48, 60

student packets

additional unit activities, 24, 34, 57

checking the hink pink, 32, 54, 64

description of, 13, 31, 46

lesson checkout, 32, 55, 64

recording answers in, 20, 21, 32, 46–47, 51, 63

recording number of practice readings, 32, 50, 62

sending home to parents/guardians, 41

sketching target words, 32, 52

taking the posttest, 31, 58

taking the pretest, 31, 61

unit activities, 33, 56, 65

using flashcards for games, 43–44

using to study target words, 23, 57

students

adapting Take Aim for high-performing students,

38

adapting Take Aim for low-performing students,

39

determining who can benefit, 16

who require less teacher assistance, 38

study target words (Step 4). See steps.

study word parts (Section J), 20, 29, 53, 63

T

take unit posttest and mark target graph (Step 5). Seesteps.

take unit pretest and mark target graph (Step 1). Seesteps.

target graph sheet. See graphs.

target words

answering questions about (Sections I and J), 20,

28, 29

applying to students' own experiences (enrichment

activity), 21, 29



extending vocabulary learning at home, 43

extending vocabulary learning at school, 42

how they are presented in the student packet, 13,

31

how they are presented in the unit textbook, 10,

26

how they are presented on the audio CD, 10

instruction of, 2–3

lesson checkout, 21

level word lists, 12, 36

on the unit posttest (Step 5), 23, 31

on the unit pretest (Step 1), 18, 31

optional unit activities, 22, 24, 34

Read Naturally's selection of, 1

reading along with the CD (Section A), 19, 26

reading definitions within the story (Sections C

and E), 19, 27

semantic mapping activities (Step 3), 22, 33

sketching (Section H), 20, 28, 32

studying (Step 4), 23

using context clues to decipher the meaning of

(Section D), 3, 19, 27

textbooks. See unit textbooks.

timers, 14, 18, 61, 65

training unit

blackline masters

answer key, 91

student packet, 83

textbook, 71

description of, 9

lesson plan, 45–58

U

unit posttest, 7, 13, 23, 24, 31, 39, 58, 65

unit pretest, 7, 13, 18, 31, 46–47, 61

unit steps list, 12, 35, 60

unit textbooks, 10, 25, 48

use context clues (Section D), 19, 27, 50, 62

W

word parts (roots and affixes), 4, 10, 20, 53, 63



TAVTM-0911

Documents

Take Aim at Vocabulary Teacher's Manual - Read Naturally